Last Christmas
by SpringHiller09
Summary: Bella is the quiet junior with a few close friends. Emmett is the popular senior quarterback. The two begin dating in October and they both give into everything. But, Emmett moves in January and turns out to be less-than perfect much to Bella's disbelief.
1. Know You Better

**Chapter One: Know You Better**

* * *

"I'm really glad we did this." Emmett told me as we sat across each other at a local diner. I'd had a crush on Emmett McCarty for the last four years,and finally my prayers were answered. He finally asked me on a date and I'd never been happier. I had never loved October as much as I did right then and there.

"Me too." I smiled as he fed me a cheese stick. The gooey cheese broke off, and fell right onto my chin. Trying to act calm, I grabbed my napkin, but he swatted me away and brought his fingers up to my chin and gently rubbed the cheese off my chin. "Thanks." I blushed, trying so hard to act cool. I was not the type of girl Emmett McCarty usually asked out.

He was the popular senior quarterback. I was the quiet junior girl with a few close friends. He dated girls like Rosalie Hale. I didn't date. We were polar opposites which made this date even more nerve racking. I still wasn't sure if him asking me out was genuine or not.

He moved to Forks when I was in seventh grade. Even as a little preteen boy, he was beautiful. His eyes had always been bright blue and he'd always been tall and tan. He was everything the boys on TV were and he went to my school. The only contact we had until I started high school was the short period of time we were both assigned to help in the library.

"So, tell me about yourself." I said as our waitress brought us our dinner. "I mean, I know you're the star quarterback, but...that's all I know."

"Well, contrary to many beliefs, I'm almost a straight A student." He laughed as he took a bite of his burger. "Math really kills me."

"Math is my best subject." I told him. "If you ever need help, I'd be happy to tutor you."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"And, if it helps, I never thought you were dumb or anything." I told him as he looked up into my eyes. "I've always thought you were smart."

"That...may be one of the nicest things anyone has ever told me." He whispered as he grabbed my hand from across the table. Electricity raced through my body and I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming. "What about you? I know you're a straight A student, but that's all I know."

"Well, I've never actually wanted to be the straight A geek I am." I told him as he let go, making my hand go cold again. "I've just wanted to be normal."

"Just because you're smart, doesn't mean you're a geek." He whispered.

"Well, I've been told otherwise."

"Then those people are ass wholes who don't know anything." He smiled. "I know you think I probably asked you out on a bet or something." He started. "But, I swear I didn't. I really wanted to go on a date with you."

"Really?" I asked. "Why?"

"Because, you're the kind of girl I've always pictured myself with." He smiled. "The smart, genuine girl who doesn't care what people think."

"You think I don't care what people say about me?" I asked. "You're wrong."

"You really care what Rosalie thinks about you?"

"Yes," I told him. "I don't show it, but...I am a teenage girl, Emmett. Words hurt and I just wanna be liked."

"Well, I like you." He smiled. "I just never knew how much until you offered me a ride home back when school started."

"It was pouring, and you looked frozen." I shrugged. "What else was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know, but most people would have just driven right past me and let me walk the rest of the way home."

From that moment, all my fear melted away and I was able to relax. We talked for hours until the diner closed and they kicked us out. He took me around Forks to keep us busy so I wouldn't have to go home yet. But, I was the over-protected daughter who had a midnight curfew and our night out couldn't last forever.

No mater how much I wanted it to.

Finally, at quarter to twelve, I was going to turn into a pumpkin if I stated out any longer. He turned the car and began driving towards my house, and held my hand the entire way home. When we got to my little white house, he parked on the street and got out of the car to walk me to my door.

"I had an amazing time tonight, Bella." He whispered as he held my hand tightly. "Really, best date I've have in a while."

"Me too." I smiled. I saw him leaning closer and I turned my head before he could do anything. I was even a kissing virgin. I was pathetic for a seventeen year old. "I should go inside."

"Wait," He called as he pulled me back closer to him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just have to go." I lied.

"Bella?" He asked softly as he pushed hair behind my ear. "Have you ever been kissed?" He asked and I shook my head without looking at him. I tried going inside again, but he wouldn't let me go, and gently touched my chin and brought my eyes to look at him. "Would you care if I were the first to kiss you?"

"No," I squeaked as he leaned into me. His warm lips gently brushed up against mine as he wrapped his arms softly around my waist. After the initial shock wore off, I started to get into it and squeezed his shoulders as he opened up his mouth and wiped his tongue against my bottom lip. I didn't let him in though.

"I...I should go." I panted after we'd been standing there for what seemed like forever. "My dad is really going to freak out."

"Right," He said with a shaky breath and let go of me.

"Thanks again." I said as I kissed his cheek. I unlocked my door and went inside and slammed the door accidentally. My mother was walking by the hallway and just seemed to understand. She smiled at me before going upstairs to my father. I went to bed feeling on top of the world that night.

* * *

"He kissed you?" One of my best friends, Angela, asked me the next day as we searched for Halloween costumes together. Halloween wasn't for another month and we should have been looking for homecoming dresses, but we liked the thirty-first better. So we put our time to good use.

"Yes." I squealed. I'd been trying so hard to be calm, but I couldn't hold it in any longer. "And it wasn't just some lame, quick kiss. He _kissed_ me Ang. _Really_ kissed me."

"Tongue?" She asked.

"I...I wouldn't open my mouth." I blushed. "But, he tried...I guess."

"Well, are you like together now?" She asked as she picked up an _Alice in Wonderland_ costume.

"I don't know." I shrugged, looking at a _Ariel_ costume. "We didn't really talk about it."

"Well, are you going to see him again?"

"Yeah, I'm going to help him study tomorrow afternoon." I smiled. "He has a Trig test Monday."

"So you're going to study?" She smirked.

"No, really. We're going to study trig at his house." I explained. "His mom and sister are going to be there."

"So, Ben's mother is downstairs half the time when we have sex." She shrugged. Ben and Angela have been together since they were in diapers. It wasn't a surprise when she told me they had sex halfway through sophomore year. They'd be together forever anyway, so it didn't really matter.

"Yeah, but how much do you really think Ben's mom cares?" I asked. Ben's mom wasn't a bad mom...she was just carefree when it came to them dating.

"Good point." She giggled. "So..."

"I don't know how far I plan on going, okay?" I asked. I knew she was going to want to talk about this once I told her. I'd just had my first kiss, I wasn't sure when and if I'd be ready to go all the way with him.

"Okay, you're right." She sighed. "Sorry."

"It's okay...what about this?" I asked as I held up a _Tinkerbelle_ costume.

"Sexy." She smirked as she picked up the _Alice_ costume again. "I like this one."

Angela and I spent the rest of the day together, talking about Emmett and Ben until we met up with Alice, our other best friend, for our weekly girls night. We'd all know each other since kindergarden and every weekend since then, we've had a girls night. It was always different, but the company never changed. Even when the two of them got boyfriends, they always kept up with our nights together.

I spilled everything to Alice who only freaked out more than Angela did. She was laughing with excitement when I told her about the kiss and we gushed about him for an hour before we decided to put the movie on. But, even Channing Tatum dancing around naked could stop us from talking.

"Jasper thinks he's the best guy on the team." Alice gushed as we make cookies together after the movie was over. "Not just because he's a great player, but he says he's the nicest too."

"Yeah, I got that part, Alice." I laughed.

"I just mean, he's the one to put the team back together after we lose a game." She shrugged. "And he always shakes hands with the other team and means it."

"Really?"

"Yeah." She laughed. "He seems better than Jasper sometimes."

"I doubt there's anyone better than Jasper." Angela giggled as she put a handful of chocolate chips in her mouth. Jasper moved here when we were in eighth grade and we brought him into our group of friends. Him and Alice hit it off right away and hadn't been able to seperate since. They were also the only couple in our grade to have kept it clean. They both wanted to wait and neither was pressuring the other.

They were perfect.

"True, but Emmett seems like a close second." She giggled.

"What about Ben?"

"Eh." She laughed, earning herself a face full of cookie dough. "I was only telling it how it is!"

"I'm sure you were!" Angela laughed as Alice smeared dough in her face.

We spent the rest of the night getting cookie dough out of our hair and eating what didn't end up on our faces. The three of us had a bond no one could break. Not even a boy. I knew that wherever we ended up for college, we'd still be able to get together for our nights...even if they were less frequent.

"You think you'll go to homecoming together?" Alice asked me as we settled onto my bed after Angela had fallen asleep. She was always the first to fall asleep, no matter how hard she tried and since she knew this, she always gave the bed to Alice and I.

"Probably not." I sighed in all honesty. He was the most popular guy in school and would probably go with Rosalie.

"Why?" She asked. "He's the one who asked you out. And he's the one who kissed you."

"So?"

"So, I think you should give him a little more credit than you do." She whispered. "He may surprise you."

* * *

Monday morning was nerve wracking as Alice and I walked into school. This was the moment of truth for Emmett and I. It was the first time we'd see each other without the comfort of his house or out in a dark theater. He'd either act like nothing happened or make a big effort to talk to me. I had a feeling there would be no middle ground. After going to my locker, I saw him surrounded by a huge group of people.

Emmett was liked by everyone. He was the perfect guy and everyone knew it. He was nice, smart, cute, athletic. Everything I...and about a million other girls...wanted in a guy. But, Alice was right. He did ask me out...not someone else. I watched as he and his friends laughed about something, and couldn't help but smile. He was...plain perfect.

He looked up and locked eyes with me before I quickly turned towards Alice to pretend like I hadn't been creeping on him. I could see him walking towards us from the corner of my eyes and tried desperately to act cool. He came up and stood in front of me, and being the idiot I was, pushed myself up against the locker.

"Hello." He smiled as he pressed his hand on the locker above me and leaned against it.

"Hi," I squeaked. I'd been alone with him twice before, I didn't know why this was so nerve racking.

"I have a pretty good feeling about my trig test." He said in confidence.

"Good," I nodded, trying so hard to not make a fool of myself.

"Bella," He whispered, locking eyes with me. "It's just me. Just like it was yesterday."

"Right," I smiled, letting my fear melt away. He was the same guy, just in a different setting. I took a deep breath as I pushed away from my locker and stood up straight. "I'm really glad I could help."

"Well, I haven't taken it yet." He sighed. "But, I haven't felt this confident in a math test in years."

"Well then lets hope you pass with an A," I laughed as we began walking. We had twenty minutes before homeroom began and we spent every minute we had left together, walking around the school and talking like we did on Friday and yesterday. Just...normal.

"I'll see you later." He whispered as he bent down to kiss my cheek. It took mighty strength to keep calm and not scream at the top of my lungs. Alice had to come and pull me into our english class.

For the first time in a long time, I didn't care what Mrs. Porter was talking about. I didn't care about what Nick was saying or what Gatsby was planning. I didn't care about the assignment she'd given us.

I just thought about Emmett and nothing else.

For the first time, I felt like a real teenage girl and not someone who was a teenager.

After school let out and I grabbed my things from my locker, I headed out to my old, beat up truck. It was my sweet sixteen present and although it wasn't a red convertible like Rosalie had gotten, it was perfect and I wouldn't have wanted anything else. Plus, I was grateful enough just to have a car to drive at all.

My family wasn't poor, but a police officer and an elementary school's salary wasn't the kind with room to splurge on a new car for their kid. They gave me too much in my opinion, but I was their only child and they insisted on giving me things I didn't need.

As I neared the truck, I saw a familiar, bulky figure leaning against the door. I smiled at him as I put the key in the lock and unlocked the door.

"Hey, you." He whispered, kissing my cheek again. He was being legit with me and as happy I was, it scared me more than anything.

"Hi," I smiled. "How was your test?"

"I didn't finish last." He laughed. "But, I actually think it went really well. Thanks again for the help."

"It wasn't a problem. It was a good excuse to hang out with you."

"You don't need an excuse for that, Bella." He told me with a soft tone in his voice. I looked up and saw him gently staring at me with his beautiful eyes and a small, genuine smile.

"Why now?" I asked after the moment had passed. "We've gone to school together since middle school. We've never really talked and when we have...it's been small talk about the weather or school."

"I told you, I've always kind of liked you."

"But...why?" I asked. "I'm nothing special...I'm average if anything."

"Maybe I'm tired of the girls who spend hours perfecting what they look like only to look like they tried too hard." He sighed. "Maybe I just want to be with a girl because of who I am...not what I look like or what my football status is. Maybe I've always been scared of being rejected by you."

"Why would I reject you?" I asked. "You're perfect."

"But, I'm not, Bella." He sighed. "I don't know, I always thought you thought I was a jerk or something. I didn't want the answer to be no because of what you thought I was."

"Still, why now?"

"Because I'm a senior and I'm running out of time." He told me and I could tell by the look in his eyes he was telling the truth. "If I didn't get a chance this year, I never would have and I would have missed out on...you."

"But, people will think..."

"The hell with them." He told me. "I don't care."

"How can't you care?"

"Because I know what I want." He sighed. "And if I want the sweet, quiet, smart girl then I'm going to be with her."

"But..."

"I do my thing and you do yours, and if by chance we find each other, then it's beautiful." He whispered.

"What?"

"Boy Meets World." He shrugged. "You said it was your favorite show."

"When?"

"One day when we were on library duty together back in middle school, you mentioned you loved that show when you were growing up." He told me. "I went home to see why you loved it so much and watched seven seasons in two months."

"You watched Boy Meets World?" I asked. "Why?"

"It was important to you." He smiled.


	2. Tell Me

**Chapter Two: Tell Me**

* * *

"So, he watched Boy Meets World...because you watched Boy Meets World?" Alice asked me as we studied together that night.

"He said he watched it because it was important to me." I shrugged. "Should I trust him?"

"I think so." She smiled. "How often do guys like Emmett come along?"

"Not often, but..."

"No buts." She laughed. "Don't not date him because you're afraid of something bad happening."

"We're so different."

"Different it good." She told me. "You're relationship will never be boring."

"Wait," I sighed. "What relationship? We've been on one date?"

"And I bet that turns into another date and another and another until you two are dancing the night away at homecoming together."

"You think?"

_In your eyes the light the heat. In your eyes, I am complete. In your eyes._

The song echoed from outside and I assumed it was my annoying neighbor blasting her music too loud in her room.

"What it that?" Alice asked as she stood up and went to the window.

"It's probably Jane blasting her iHome too loud again." I sighed, trying to drown out the song. "My dad was supposed to talk to her about it, but Jane was never good at listening. Even to cops."

"Ummmm, Bella?" She stuttered as she stayed glued to my window. "I don't think it's Jane playing her music."

"Alice, I really don't care..."

"Come here!" She squealed. I stood up and went over to the window to amuse her, but didn't expect to see what had her all excited. Emmett was standing there holding an old-time boom box over his head and smiling like idiot up at me. "Did you tell him Say Anything was your favorite 80's movie?"

"No," I laughed, looking down at him again. "What are you doing?"

"Heard girls dig this." He laughed. "Would you come down here please?" Before I had a chance to answered, Alice was tying my converse onto my feet and pushed me out the door. She shoved me outside, almost making me fall, and slammed my front door behind her.

"Hi," I smiled after I caught my balance. "Alice, she's...she isn't one for subtlety."

"Neither am I." He smirked.

"So, why did you do this?" I asked. "I mean, other than the fact girls 'dig it.'"

"I wanted to ask you something." He smiled as he took my hand. "And, I wanted to do something special."

"Okay, ask." I pushed.

"Will you do me the honor and let me escort you to the homecoming dance?" He asked and I nearly choked on my own spit. I honestly didn't think he'd ask me, let alone ask me this quickly into...whatever our 'relationship' was. "Bella?"

"I'd...I'd love to." I smiled and he let out a sigh of relief as he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist. I was in total shock. I'd never had a date to a dance before and now I had Emmett McCarty. It was a dream. It had to me. He let go of my waist and his eyes met mine.

He slowly leaned into me and our lips brushed together, much like they had on Friday night. He didn't push me to do anything I wasn't comfortable with and we just stood there together, lightly kissing each other until I saw my father's police cruiser pull onto my street. I wasn't quite ready to deal with him seeing me kiss a boy.

Emmett got the hint and backed away, but oddly enough, he didn't get into the car in leave. I wished he had because my father was going to make things incredibly awkward for us. He pulled into the driveway and I could feel his stare from where I was standing. He got out of the car, making sure he had his gun in his belt, and walked over towards us.

"Bella, who is this?" He asked. I didn't let him or my mother meet him Friday. I was nervous enough.

"Daddy, this is Emmett." I told him, praying he wouldn't make a big stink.

"Ah, Emmett." He huffed. "The boy who took my little girl out Friday night."

"Dad," I sighed as I felt my cheeks turning red.

"Yes sir, that's me." He smiled as he offered my father his hand. I smiled when my dad returned the favor and shook his hand. "I hope you don't mind me showing up here like this, but I had a question for Bella."

"You did, did you?"

"Yes, a math question." He answered cooly. "Math is not my strongest subject and Bella told me she was brilliant at math."

"She's brilliant at everything."

"Yes, I knew that." He chuckled. I had no idea how he was playing it so cool. "But, I got the answer I was looking for and I will be letting you two go."

"Bye, Emmett." I smiled as he stepped back.

"I will see you tomorrow, Bella." He smiled. "It was good to meet you Chief Swan." He said before getting into his car and driving away."

"Thanks, dad." I huffed as I headed back inside. I went upstairs where Alice was waiting for me and plopped down on the bed next to her. I told her every single detail and she squealed the entire time. She had Angela on the phone seconds later and I was forced to retell the story, even though I would have liked to tell her in person the next day.

* * *

Alice and Angela took me out shopping the next weekend for a dress. We spent hours trying on dresses of all different styles, colors, and cuts. They were making way too big of a deal out of this, but I let them have their fun. Finally, after I thought all hope was lost, Alice pulled a dress of the clearance wrack that was perfect.

I went into the dressing room and tried it on and it fit perfectly. It hugged me in all the right places, and for once, I felt comfortable in my body. I'd never really liked the way I looked. I was too skinny and my boobs never really grew after I turned fourteen. But, this dress made me look like a seventeen year old, rather than an awkward preteen.

When I came out, both of them flipped out and deemed our search over. Even the saleslady gushed over how good it looked on me and for the first time since he asked me, I felt good about saying yes. Alice found me a pair of flats since if I wore heals, I'd end up falling flat on my face.

"Bella, he's going to fall head over heals for you." Angela told me as we looked for their dresses in another shop. The three of us had completely different styles and it was hard to believe we could agree on anything. I was simple with jeans and sweaters. Angela had a completely different style than anyone I'd ever seen. And Alice...well she was the definition of girly-girl.

"You really think?" I asked, suddenly questioning if I'd bought the right dress.

"No." She sighed. "I _know_ he's going to."

"What about this?" I asked, holding up a dress that no one but Angela would find appealing. She nodded and snatched the dress and went into a fitting room. The two of them found a dress in half the time I did and after we had everything we needed, headed to a local _Subway_ for dinner.

Halfway through my sandwich, Emmett's little sister, Molly, walked in with all her friends. I had met his family when I studied with him after our date and they were a lot less stiff about meeting me. Molly was a freshman in high school and if Emmett and I became something more, I was really looking forward to spending time with her.

"Hi, Bella." She chirped after she'd gotten her meal. "What are you doing here?"

"Feeding myself after a long day shopping." I laughed as Angela and Alice both smirked at me.

"Did you get a dress?" She asked excitedly.

"Yes, I did."

"Can I see?"

"Nope." I laughed. "You're going to have to wait just like your brother."

"Fine," She sighed. "Mom's taking me out sometime this week. I'm so excited.

"Good," I smiled. "I enjoyed freshman homecoming a lot more than last year."

"How come?"

"It was a new experience when I was a freshman." I shrugged. "But, I still had a lot of fun last year."

"So, guess what?"

"What?"

"Jenna heard from Victoria who heard from Max that DJ is going to ask me on Friday at the football game." She squealed. DJ was a JV played on the high school team and Emmett bet he'd be on varsity next year. DJ was the Emmett of the freshman. Smart, funny, athletic, and he was cute to top everything off.

"Molly, that's great." I smiled.

"Well, I gotta go!" She laughed as he friends waved her over.

"Looks like it's not just Emmett who likes you." Alice pointed out. We finished our sandwiches and headed back to Angela's to watch a movie. Neither of us made it past the second movie and we didn't even have a chance to make some sort of baked good like normal.

Monday morning came along and I was anxious as I walked into school. I hadn't seen Emmett all weekend since he was spending quality time with his dad who came in from New York for the weekend. His parents split when he was eight and unlike Molly who wanted nothing to do with her dad, he was everything to Emmett.

He cherished everything he got from his dad, even if it was only a two minute phone call to say hi. They talked regularly and his dad was in Forks anytime he could get away from the hospital. He was the chief surgeon at NYU Langone Medical Center and even though they weren't together, he always managed to take care of his kids.

"I missed you this weekend." He whispered in my ear as he kissed the nape of my neck. It was hard to concentrate on opening my locker with his lips on my skin and I had to push him away so I could accomplish a small task.

"I missed you too." I told as him as turned around. He leaned up against the locker and basically locked me in our little area. "How was your dad?"

"Good, but the visit was too short." He sighed. "He took me to see Michael Buble in Seattle."

"You like Michael Buble?"

"I don't love him, but he's dad's favorite so I told him I'd with him." He told me. "I just want to spend time with him."

"Well, I'm glad you had fun." I smiled, leaning in and giving him a quick peck on the lips.

There was no label on what we had yet, but I felt myself falling harder and harder for him every time I saw him.

"I did, I just wish you could have met him." He told me as he stood back up and grabbed my hand. We began walking around the school like every morning and I couldn't help myself but smile as he told me he wanted me to meet his father.

"Me too." I smiled. We continued walking and just talked about pointless stuff. He gave me details about the concert and I told him I got my dress. He was crushed when I told him he couldn't see it until the dance. As we stopped in front of my homeroom, a shiver went down my spine from the drafty air and he began unzipping his sweatshirt.

"Here," He smiled as he wrapped it around me.

"No, I'm fine."

"Bella, your skin is covered in goosebumps." He pointed out. "I'm fine, I'm in long sleeves."

"Okay," I nodded and felt Rosalie's stare on me as she walked by us. They didn't date for very long and hadn't dated since they were sophomores, but she was still terriotorial about him and wouldn't let anyone else have him if she couldn't. "Thanks." He said goodbye with a soft kiss on the lips and headed towards his classroom.

"Nice jacket." Angela snickered as I sat down next to her.

"Thank you." I laughed.

It had been a good day. Until Rosalie and I crossed paths in the lunchroom. She pulled me into the deserted hallway and I actually feared for my life.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into." She said darkly.

"What...what are you talking about?" I stuttered, trying to keep calm.

"With Emmett." She barked. "You're a child, Bella. He needs to be with someone...more experienced."

"Rosalie,"

"You do know we banged, right?" She snickered. "Like...all the time. And he loved it."

"Good to know,"

"He's a teenage boy, Bella." She told me. "He wants sex. Just like all the others. And, if you don't give it to him...he's going to get board with you."

"You don't know anything about us..."

"But, I know him." She laughed. "And I know that the thing he looked forward to most during school...was going home and fucking me senseless until neither of us could walk."

"Rosalie..."

"Don't say I didn't warn you." She smirked before going back into the cafeteria. Suddenly, I wasn't hungry anymore and found a bathroom to hide in until lunch was over and I could go to class. I figured he wasn't a virgin, I never expected him to be. And I knew I shouldn't let her get to me.

But, she did. And what she told me haunted me for the rest of the day.

_"The thing he looked forward to most during school...was going home and fucking me senseless until neither of us could walk."_

What if she was right? What if he did get board and want to leave? I wasn't ready to have sex yet, but I didn't want to lose him either.

"Bella?" I heard a voice ask as I stood at my locker at the end of the day. However, I wasn't expecting him to be standing behind me and I dropped all the books that were in my hands. He bent down and picked them up from me, and gave me a quizical look.

"I have to go." I blurted out and pushed passed him. I heard footsteps following me out to the truck and prayed it wasn't him. When I turned around, I was glad to see Angela.

"What's up?" She asked. "I saw Rosalie drag you out of the lunchroom and you never came back?"

"I'm fine,"

"Bella, I know you well enough to know when you're lying." She told me. "You're the worst liar ever."

"What if he gets board with me?" I asked and she looked taken aback. "Because I won't have sex with him. What if he wants it and I don't give it to me and he leaves?"

"Bella, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would pressure you into anything."

"Exactly, so how do I know he won't dump me when I don't?"

"You have to trust him."

"Rosalie told me that they fucked all the time and that's what he looked forward to during school." I blurted out. "Having sex. He looked forward to banging her after school."

"Did Rosalie tell you this?" She sighed.

"Yes, but...I mean they did date and..."

"You can't trust a word she says." I heard Emmett say and I looked past Angela to see him standing behind her. My face turned hot and my brain was no longer working. Angela left us alone to talk and I really wished she hadn't. "I broke up with her because she lied too much."

"So you two didn't fuck until you couldn't walk?" I asked and his face looked hurt.

"No, we did that." He sighed, sounding regretful. "And, I won't lie...it was good and I did look forward to it."

"Gee, thanks for telling me."

"But, a lot of the time it wasn't that great." He told me. "Things didn't get good until the end of our relationship. I was a virgin when we had sex for the first time and she'd only done it one other time. It wasn't good for the first few months."

"And you magically got better?"

"No, practice does make perfect." He laughed, but I wasn't finding anything funny at the moment. "The point is, I'm not going to get board with you if we don't do anything. Sex was just a good extra that came with the relationship. I could have lived without it."

"But, I'm a virgin." I sighed, leaning against my truck. "I don't know when I'll ever be ready."

"And I'm not asking you to tell me." He sighed kindly. "And honestly, I don't know if I want that...pressure."

"Pressure?"

"Of being the first guy you've ever been with." He shrugged. "Especially since I'll be leaving for school in August."

"So...you don't wanna have sex with me?" I asked. "At all?"

"Why do girls always have to twist words?" He asked, sounding exasperated. "I didn't say that! All I said was it will happen on _your_ terms when _you're_ ready. _If_ you're ready."

"I just...don't want you to regret anything."

"I'll only regret it if you aren't ready and we do it anyway." He smiled and I leaned in a gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Look, Bella, I don't want other people putting stupid thoughts in your head. Especially Rosalie."

"I know I shouldn't have listened but she's so convincing."

"She's manipulative." He corrected. "And jealous. She never got over the fact that I dumped her and will do anything so I'm not happy. It really has nothing to do with you."

"I'm just the person in the middle." I sighed. "The person who always gets fucked over."

"You won't get fucked over if I have anything to do with it." He whispered, leaning in a brushing his lips against mine. "Did you just...swear?"

"Yep." I laughed. "Guess I'm growing up."


	3. Night Sky

**Chapter Three: Night Sky**

* * *

Finally, it was the Friday before homecoming. I woke up with butterflies in my stomach just thinking about the next day. Our team was playing our rivals, the dance was the next day, and Emmett was nominated for homecoming king. Everyone knew it would be him. I only prayed they were wrong about Rosalie winning queen.

"Here," I whispered, handing him a granola bar. "I know you're nervous, but you have to eat something or else, you won't be very good use to anyone."

"Thanks, baby." He smiled, making me blush. He'd never called me baby before and I tried to play it off like I didn't even notice that he didn't use Bella this time. He unwrapped it and ate it in two bites. The boy was rediculous when it came to eating food. We sat down at a table in the lunchroom instead of walking around, he insisted he just needed to meditate.

"How about a back massage?" I asked as I stood up. I gripped his shoulders and gently squeezed and he let out a soft moan. "How's this?"

"Perfect." He sighed in contentment. This was a big game. He had recruiters coming and we were playing Nooksack Valley..a team that was near impossible to beat. We continued this until the bell rang and it was time to part for the day. Even though it wasn't a huge age difference, the only time we had to see each other was lunch, and we usually ate it apart since we had our own friends.

Finally, eighth period came along and it was time to go down to the gym for the big Homecoming Pep Rally. All the nominations for king and queen would be recognize and our football coach would give an encouraging speech to his team and the school. Everyone cheered loudest for Emmett and it was times like that when I still questioned why he chose me.

The coach gave his usual speech, but when he was finished Emmett came up from behind him and took the microphone.

"Hey, Forks High!" He shouted into the microphone and got everyone wound up. But, he didn't start talking again until everyone had calmed down. "I just wanted to say that, win or lose tonight...we're a team. Not just the players on the field, but the entire school. We're all on the same team and I am proud to be a student here. There aren't many schools like ours and my boys and I always feel better with you all on the sidelines, cheering us on. So, thank you for supporting us in the rainy, cold weather every week and thank you for all the encouragement. My boys and I wouldn't be able to do this without you."

"We love you Emmett!" A girl in the back shouted.

"We love you too!" He shouted, getting everyone wound up again. I stood by his locker, waiting for him after we'd been released from the gym and he came up to me with the goofiest look I'd ever seen.

"How'd I do?" He asked as he grabbed his books.

"You inspired me." I chuckled as he shut his locker and grabbed my hand. "It was good, babe."

"You called me babe." He smiled, and I even saw his cheeks turn a light shade of pink. "I like it when you call me that."

"Then, maybe I'll do it more often." I laughed as he walked me to his car. He had a big team dinner that night and he had to be there right after school. I went home with Angela that day to get ready for the game. We put way too much glitter on our eyes and wrote _#22_ on both our cheeks. It felt good being the quarterbacks girl.

We got to the football field too early, but I didn't care. We put our blanket and seat pads down right in the middle of the bleachers and went down to the fence. I was getting antsy as I heard the marching band getting closer as the parade neared the stadium. Soon, the king and queen would be announced and I really hoped it was Emmett.

"Hello everyone!" The student announcer yelled into the microphone as the stadium filled up and the nominees walked onto the field. Thankfully, Rosalie's arm wasn't clamped around Emmett's and I hoped it would stay that way. "Welcome to the 2013 Forks High School Homecoming Game!" He roared, his voice echoing through the stadium.

"Now, for the moment our students have been waiting for for three weeks! Now, for your homecoming queen!" He shouted and someone started a drumroll. "Bree Tanner!"

"Thank god." I sighed under my breath. I smiled as she cried tears of joy and the tiara was placed on her head. I squeezed Angela's and Alice's hand as everyone calmed down and it was time to announce the king.

"And your homecoming king is..." He shouted. "Emmett McCarty!"

"YES!" I shouted as the entire stadium errupted in applause. I couldn't help but laugh at Rosalie throwing a hissy fit over homecoming queen and I knew that she got what she deserved. Absolutely nothing. After he was crowned and they got pictures of the two of them, he ran over to the sidelines and kissed me.

"Congratulations, babe." I laughed as he peppered my face with kisses. He'd never admit it to anyone else, but he'd always wanted to win homecoming king. It was his guilty wish.

"Did you vote for me?" He asked.

"Of course." I smiled.

"Then, that was the only vote that mattered to me." He smiled and with one final kiss, his coach pulled him away from me and onto the field.

After another ten minutes, it was kickoff time. After two and a half hours, Emmett was passing the final ball to Newton, and the final touchdown was scored, breaking the tie. Forks had won against the Pioneer's. We had victory.

"WE WON!" Emmett yelled as he came up from the locker room. He picked me up and spun me around. I'd never seen him happier and I couldn't have been happier for him. He'd worked so hard for this and what made it better what the scouts were there to see him. "We won," He whispered.

"Yeah, you did."

"No, not me." He explained. "We. The Spartans. We won!" He yelled again and squeezed me even tighter. He leaned down and kissed me like he never had before and when he pulled away, my knees were weak and it was hard to think straight.

* * *

"Look at you!" My mother cooed as I slipped my shoes on the next afternoon. It was the first time I put a good amount of time in getting ready, and I smiled when I saw myself in the mirror. My mother insisted on going to a salon to get my hair and makeup done and it wasn't overdone. It was simple and elegant and I had to admit. I looked good.

"The dress looks perfect." She sighed as she clapped her hands together. Then there was a knock at my door and my father came inside and his eyes went wide.

"You can't wear that!" He screeched.

"Charlie!" My mother scolded. "She is seventeen. She's growing up. Accept it."

"But, it's too tight." He argued. I knew it was the perfect length and fit. I wasn't going to let my father ruin this. "And short."

"Charlie, no it isn't." She sighed.

"Dad, I know you think I'm still seven years old," I sighed as I turned to him. "But, I'm not. I'm seventeen and in two years, I'll be in college and you won't be there to tell me what to do or how to do things. Please let me grow up or I'll just turn rebellious and you'll lose me forever."

"And, this is Bella's night." My mother chimed in. "Not yours."

"But..."

"Now, tell Bella how beautiful she looks." My mother ordered. My father stared at me for a long time without a change in facial expression. Finally, he smiled at me and walked towards me, wrapping his arms tightly around my shoulders.

"You're gorgeous, baby." He sighed as he kissed the top of my head. "You've always been beautiful, I just never knew how much until now."

"You mean it?"

"I'd never lie to you." He whispered as the doorbell rang. I bit my tongue to keep from screaming and thankfully, my mother made it out of the room before my father so she'd be the one to answer the door. I heard them mumbling through the ceiling and took a deep breath before grabbing my bag and going downstairs.

"I will have her home by midnight." I heard him say as I stood at the top of the stairs. "I prom...wow," He sighed with a glazed look in his eyes. I grabbed the railing and began slowly walking down the stairs.

"Emmett?"

"You look...wow." He smiled. "Beautiful."

"Thank you," I smiled as he kissed my cheek, making me turn pink.

"This is for you," He whispered handing me a clear box. He opened it and took out the beautiful flowers he'd gotten me. He slid the band over my wrist and brought my hand up to his lips and gently brushed his lips against my hand. I blushed an even brighter shade of pink when my father cleared his throat. I stepped back and took the small flower in my mothers hand.

I pinned the flower to his suit jacket and smiled at him. My mother insisted on taking a few pictures at my house before we met Angela and Alice for pictures with the boys.

After an hour and a half of taking pictures, it was time to go to dinner. Thankfully, Jasper and Emmett were already close and Ben was able to talk to anyone. The guys were able to talk sports while the three of us gossiped about the guys.

"Emmett looks good in a suit." Angela gushed as she looked at him from across the table.

"Hey, he's mine." I laughed as I kicked her. "But, yeah he does."

"Bella?" Alice asked softly. "Are you on birth control?"

"For almost two years." I told her. "Why?"

"I...just want you to be careful if something were to happen." She shrugged, looking almost scared to talk to me about this.

"Alice, nothing is going to happen tonight." I assured her. "Promise, I'm not ready."

"Neither was Ang and it happened." She pointed out. Ben never pressured her, but she admitted she wished she'd waited a little bit longer to give it to him. "I just wanna protect you."

"Thanks, but you can't protect me from everything." I sighed as I looked over at him. "And I can't protect myself from everything either."

Finally, we headed towards the school for the dance. Being the girl dating the homecoming king seemed like a big deal, even though no one really cared. We walked into the lobby of the gym hand and hand and Emmett handed a chaperone our tickets. We went into the gym and placed our things down on the bleachers.

At seven thirty, things really got going. The gym began filling up and the music got louder. Suddenly, as I watched the other couples, I felt like an idiot. I'd never ground on anyone before...not really. I'd made fun of people with Alice and Angela but I'd never actually danced like that on a guy before.

Emmett, however, was completely patient with me. For the most part we danced like idiots together and didn't really care about dancing like we were supposed to. We enjoyed being with each other and I got a close look at who Emmett really was. We just had fun together.

"Would the homecoming court meet in the lobby, please?" The DJ announced halfway through the dance. I found Angela and Alice and danced with them for a few songs before the lights in the gym turned on. The DJ announced the other four couples on court and then, I saw Emmett with Bree's hand wrapped around his elbow.

"And now, your homecoming king and queen!" He shouted into the microphone. "Bree Tanner and Emmett McCarty!" The two of them walked down the aisle the people had created for them as _With Arms Wide Open_ began playing throughout the gym. I smiled as he danced with her, but a lot quicker than I expected, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and walked over to me.

"Can I have this dance?" He asked, holding out his hand for me. I took it excitedly and he pulled me close to him as the chorus began filling the gym with noise. "Thanks for coming with me."

"Thanks for asking." I laughed as he spun me around.

"I wouldn't have wanted to go with anyone else." He whispered, leaning down and brushing his lips against mine. The song continued to play and neither of us noticed when it stopped and a faster song began playing. The two of us just stayed in each other's arms for the rest of the night, and I almost cried when the DJ announced the last song.

"Bella, I know we haven't been dating for long and I know there isn't a 'label' on our relationship, but..." He sighed as he looked everywhere around the gym but at me. Finally, I bought my hand up to his face and forced him to look at me. "I think I'm falling in love with you."

"Emmett," I sighed as my eyes grew wide. I never expected him to say that to me. I'd always felt it, but I didn't think he ever would. I didn't think Emmett McCarty would actually...love me. I didn't think anyone really would. "I feel the same way."

"Really?" He asked, trying very hard to contain his happiness.

"Really." I answered as he bent down and brushed his lips against mine. The song ended too quickly and then...homecoming was over. He went and grabbed our things and met me by the doors to the gym.

"You wanna get out of here?" He asked, sounding out of breath.

"Yes," I nodded eagerly as he helped me into my coat. He started walking to the door that led outside, but a hand grabbed me and forcefully pulled me back towards them. I saw it was Alice who'd prevented me from going with him, and she almost looked scared.

"Please be careful!" She begged.

"Alice,"

"I was right next you...I heard everything." She explained. "If you aren't ready, please don't do anything!"

"Alice, I won't!"

"You say that now but those three words always change peoples minds." She told me. "It took a lot of strength to pull Jasper and I apart once he told me he loved me and from the beginning we promised each other we wouldn't go too far."

"Thank you for the concern, but I'll be fine."

"Just be careful!"

"I will be, Alice." I smiled, calming down. "I promise."

"I just don't want you to get hurt." She sighed and I turned to the door where Emmett was calling me. He was smiling ear to ear and he made my heart leap.

"I know, but I trust Emmett." I whispered. "And you have to trust me."

"Okay," She agreed as Jasper came up behind her. "Go, have fun." She insisted as she gave me a little push towards him. He held out his hand for me and walked me to his jeep where he opened the door for me and helped me inside.

"Do you mind if we take a detour?" He asked. I looked at the clock and saw I had over an hour before curfew and agreed to let him take me wherever he wanted to go. He drove past the 'Welcome to Forks' sign and made a hard right into a thick wood. He finally parked and turned on his high beams so I could see everything.

There was a river that went as far as the eye could see with the moon shining down brightly. I looked up and saw a bright starts and miles of woods in front of us. He got out and grabbed blankets from the backseat and helped me out. He laid the blankets on top of the car and cupped his hands in front of me.

"Come on," He urged. "Get up."

"I'm in a dress, Emmett." I argued.

"Come on, don't be such a girl."

"Well, if you didn't notice already...I AM a girl."

"I know, but...man up for goodness sake." He laughed and he was right. The dance was over and it didn't matter what I looked like anymore. I put my foot into his hands and he hoisted me up to the roof of the car. I scooted up to the front of the jeep so he could get up and he settled right next to me.

"I found this right after we moved here." He sighed. "You're the first person I ever brought here."

"I'm honored." I whispered seriously. I looked at him and met his gaze and suddenly, his lips were crashing into mine. He wrapped his hands tightly around my waist as we gently laid down on top of the car. We began gently grinding against each other and I could feel him hardening beneath me.

Suddenly, I understood what Alice meant when she said the three words can change a persons mind.

I still wasn't ready.

"Emmett, no." I whispered, shoving him away. I could see the disappointment in his eyes, but he honored my wishes and stopped. He sat up and helped me sit up. I sighed and buried my head in his shoulders. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, I told you we'd do this at your speed."

"Yeah, well my speed looks like it hurts you." I whispered, nodding to his crotch. He turned red and looked away, trying to gain composure. "I'm sorry."

"Bella, it's fine." He insisted. "I don't want you to regret anything. I'd rather have a boner for a few hours than live with knowing you weren't ready for anything yet. I just want what's best for you."

"But..."

"I'm not arguing about this with you." He sighed. "I understand and it's forgotten."

"Okay," I smiled as I leaned into him as I watched the scenery go by in front of me.

Emmett McCarty was a true genuine person.


	4. Roaming Around

**Chapter Four: Roaming Around**

* * *

"So?" Both Angela and Alice asked as they raced up to me in the hall Monday morning. I told them exactly what happened and if I didn't know any better, I'd say Ang was disappointed in me. But Alice, she never looked more relieved. I was proud of myself for saying no and I knew I made the right choice.

"So...you didn't do anything after the dance?" Angela asked, trying to wrap her head around the fact that I said no to Emmett McCarty.

"Pretty much." I shrugged. "Ang, I'm just not ready."

"You think you aren't because you haven't done it, but I didn't think I was ready either." She explained.

"You and Ben are different." I told her. "You two have been together since diapers and you'll be together until coffins. I've only been dating Emmett for three months. The time just isn't right."

"And she isn't ready because she's not ready." Alice protested. "Not because she's nervous."

"I think you're both right." I sighed. Alice and Angela had a tendency to argue more than the average best friend did. They told me they were just so opposite it was hard not to, but their friendship was strong enough to get through anything. But, I just really didn't feel like listening to them argue.

"So, where is Romeo anyway?" Angela asked as we sat down in the cafeteria after Emmett didn't show up at my locker that morning.

"I don't know," I sighed, staring at the door hoping he'd walk in soon. "He hasn't said anything to me."

"He probably overslept." Alice assured me. But, after he didn't come into school by the time homeroom started, I got worried. And, when I didn't see Molly while walking to second period like I always did, Alice had to keep me from panicking. Molly never missed school, and she didn't usually ride with Emmett to school.

"I'm sure they're fine." Alice tried to tell me at lunch, but nothing she was saying was helping. I had a feeling that they probably just got each other sick and I really had nothing to worry about, but Emmett would have texted me if they were sick. It was not knowing what was happening that was scaring me.

"Alice, where's Jasper?" Angela asked when she and Ben sat down with their lunch trays.

"Isn't he in line?" She asked since he normally bought.

"I didn't see him." Ben shrugged. "And, he was called down to guidance at the end of fourth, but I thought he was just picking up paper work."

"Now both our boyfriends are missing." Alice laughed, but Jasper was in school. Emmett wasn't.

I tried eating, but I couldn't force myself to swallow. Whenever I was the slightest bit nervous, I physically couldn't eat. I watched at the three of them laughed and talked, but I really didn't listen. I just kept my attention on my phone and the doors to the lunch room.

Finally, after ten minutes, Jasper finally appeared. But, he didn't look good. He looked stressed and just spaced out and it worried me. Even in the worst situations, Jasper could keep it together.

"Jazz, babe are you okay?" Alice asked as she coddled him when he sat down. Jasper, however, didn't want to be touched and shoved her away. "Jasper?"

"Have you talked to Emmett today?" He asked, turning to me.

"No, why what's wrong?" I asked, my heart beginning to pound. "Jasper?"

"His dad was in a really bad car accident." He sighed. "He's in critical condition and...they don't know if he's going to make it."

"How do you know this?" I asked.

"My parents just called me." He explained. Jasper and Emmett lived across the street from each other so along with them being close, their parents were too. "Esme is a mess. They all are."

"I...I have to go." I stuttered as I tried grabbing my bag.

"Yeah, you're coming with me." He smiled as he took my bag from me. He leaned down and gave Alice a kiss before we walked out of the cafeteria. "You okay?"

"He...he loves his father." I told him. "Even though he cheated on his mom...Emmett loves his dad. His dad can't die, Jasper!" I yelled as I fell back against the lockers. "He just can't."

"Hey," He whispered as he wrapped his arms around me. I turned and sobbed into his chest. I hadn't even met his father and I was a wreck at just the thought of him dying. Because, I knew what it would do to Emmett. It would ruin him. "You have to be strong for him, Bella."

"I'm not the person to call when you need a strong support system." I blurted out. "I cry when I heard about someones dog dying...even if I've never talked to the person."

"I know, you're emotional." He laughed. "And, Emmett just needs you to be there."

"I'm not going to be able to give him encouraging words and force feed him food." I warned. "I'm going to cry with him."

"Cry with him, but don't let him give up hope." He sighed. "Hope is the only thing he has right now." He told me as he kissed the top of my head. I regained composure just before the bell rang and the two of us walked to his car. The ride was silent and I'd never not wanted to go inside Emmett's house more.

"Come on, he needs you." Jasper whispered as he opened my door. I grabbed his hand and walked up the pathway to the front door. Jasper used the emergency key to let himself inside and the house was dead silent. "My parents are here, I'm going to go find them."

"Okay," I nodded as he walked towards the kitchen. I debated whether I should follow him and let Emmett come to me or go find him. But, then I realized I was his _girlfriend_...not just some friend he had. I took a deep breath and walked up the steps towards his bedroom. His door was shut all the way and I took a deep breath before knocking.

When there was no answer, I pressed my ear to the door. I could feel him rustling around inside and put my hand on the doorknob. I slowly turned it and pushed the door open. My heart broke when I saw photo albums surrounding his bed and seeing him standing at the big window he had in his room.

He just stood there. He didn't move a muscle and if I hadn't seen his shoulders going up and down, I would have thought he was dead. I slowly walked over to him, making more noise than usual so he knew I was there, and stood next to him.

"Don't drink and drive." He sighed after what seemed like days of standing together.

"Huh?" I whispered as I rubbed his back.

"Don't drink and drive, Emmett." He whispered. "Those were his only words of advice when I was learning how to drive. Don't drink and drive."

"Emmett?"

"He was drunk, Bella." He sighed. "And, even if he lives, he's facing jail time because he killed three people." He whispered. "He was drinking with his buddies at a bar and got into his car and tried driving home. He hit a mother driving her two daughters home from dance class."

"How old were the girls?" I asked, feeling sick to my stomach.

"One was twelve and the other was ten." He cried. "And, I heard my mother crying over the phone to my grandmother that it wasn't the first time he'd gotten in the car while under the influence."

"What?" I asked.

"He got a DUI when he was in high school and another right after my mother filed for divorce." He sighed. "I mean, those were the only times he got caught so who knows how many other times he'd driven drunk before. But, this was the only time something truly horrible happened."

"How long will he be in jail for if he's convicted?"

"Depends." He snickered. "Could be months...could be the rest of his life." He sighed. "How'd you know?"

"Jasper told me." I explained. "His parents called the school."

"Good old Whitlock's." He laughed as he took a swig of what looked to be water. "You can smell it, but it is water." He mumbled, handing me the bottle. I wanted to check, but I felt if he were drunk, I'd smell if on his breath.

"I trust you." I smiled, leaning my head on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Emmett."

"Don't drink and drive." He mumbled as he took another drink.

* * *

A week had passed since Emmett's fathers accident and he was still in critical condition. Neither Emmett or Molly were back in school, but their mother wasn't dragging them to New York to see him lay there helplessly. Molly was taking it better then Emmett was, partially because she hadn't thought of him since she was ten, and partially because they never had the chance to really bond before the divorce.

"He's going to be fine, Bella." Angela sighed as we got ready for the annual Forks Halloween Ball at the town hall. Halloween was a big deal in this town, especially to the high school kids. "You deserve to have a little fun."

"His father is lying in a coma and facing jail time if he ever wakes up." I sighed. "Emmett's devestated, what else am I supposed to do?"

"Bella, I understand your support, I do." Angela told me. "But, you are allowed to live your own life."

"Live my own life?" I asked. "You didn't leave Ben's side for a month after his grandfather died...you slept next to him."

"But,"

"No, Ang." I laughed. "There are no but's right now. I'm worried about him."

"But, he told you to go and have fun." Alice interrupted as she walked into my room. "I'm sure he is so grateful to have you there beside him, but maybe he needs a few hours just to cope with things."

"Maybe,"

"Relationships are about balance, Bella." Alice whispered. "Don't overbear him right now. He'll come to you when he needs you."

"You're right...I hate it when you're right."

"I know," She giggled, grabbing my costume off the bed. "Now, go change into this so we can get our Halloween on."

"Hell yeah!" Angela laughed as I walked into the bathroom. I slipped into the scarecrow costume Alice helped me pick out and pulled my hair into a ponytail before going back into my room. After I got my shoes on, we headed downstairs and jumped into my truck. The party was in full swing by the time we got there and we linked arms to walk inside.

The place was packed. There were people of all ages and even my parents looked like they were having a good time when we walked by them. We set our things down and headed out to the dance floor. Since Emmett wasn't with me, the two of them decided to make it a girls night and told their boyfriends to stay away.

"Bella, you look great!" I heard a voice coo behind me. I turned around and was shocked to see Molly standing there with D.J. I didn't think she'd be there. "What are you?" She shouted.

"The Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz." I told her. "What are you doing here?"

"I never miss the Halloween party." She shrugged. "Plus, I figured if I didn't get out of the house for this, then I'd never leave."

"Where's your mom?"

"Over there with her friends from work." She pointed out to a group of women at the bar. "We really tried to get Emmett here, but he wouldn't open the door. Sorry,"

"It's fine." I smiled. "Go have fun."

"Bye!" She called as D.J. pulled her to the middle of the dance floor.

"Bella, don't!" Angela warned as I walked towards our things. "He wants to be alone."

"I don't think being alone is a very good idea right now." I argued as I grabbed my jacket. "I'm going to see him."

"Bella!" Alice called as I ran down the steps and towards the parking lot. When I pulled up to his house, the entire place was dark but his room. I didn't think he was going to kill himself, but I didn't know how bad he was doing. I just needed to know he was okay. I walked up the steps towards his porch and rang the doorbell.

When he didn't show, I continued to press the button until I finally heard him moving inside. I saw the living room lights turn on with the porch lights and heard him mumbling.

"What part of a dark house did you little brats not understand?" He yelled as he swung the door open. I suspected he wasn't handing out candy while he was here alone. "Bella?"

"Trick-or-treat." I smiled nervously.

"What are you doing here?"

"No one should be alone on Halloween." I whispered. After a few seconds of staring at me, he stepped aside and opened the door wider. He wasn't pushing me away, he was letting me in. I walked inside and put my coat on the couch before turning to him. "I saw your mom and sister at the town hall."

"Yeah, Molly couldn't miss a party." He snickered. "Not even now."

"She told me she thought if the Halloween party couldn't get out of the house, then nothing ever would." I explained, and he snorted at me. "He was her dad too, Emmett."

"Yeah, and she's been shutting him out for five years, Bella!" He yelled. "She hasn't answered any of his calls, deletes his emails before even reading them, and sends anything he sends her back before she even opens them!"

"It doesn't matter how badly she's treated him!" I argued. "He's still her dad!"

"The only thing he's wanted in the last five years was his daughter back!" He cried as he sat down on the couch, burying his face in his hands. "I don't even know what went wrong between them, and she is refusing to tell me. All I know, is he wants her back and he might die before he gets a chance."

"Emmett,"

"What if he never wakes up, Bella?" He asked, lifting his head and turning towards me. "What if..."

"Don't ask what if," I told him. "It wont do you any good and it'll only put doubt into your head."

"You know, I was mad at him too." He told me. "For about a year after the divorce was final, I rarely spoke with him. I mean, I didn't go to the extreme Molly does to avoid him, but when we did talk...it wasn't much. He talked, I'd listen and answer the questions he'd ask me. Then I'd hang up until the next time he tried talking to me."

"You were hurt, Emmett." I said, gently playing with his hair. "That doesn't make you a bad person."

"Then, what does?" He asked. "There are kids who have no parents at all and my sister and I had the balls to ignore the one we're fortunate to have?"

"Why are you beating yourself up about this?" I asked. "You and you're father have moved passed whatever happened when you were younger."

"It just...haunts me."

"Why?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "It just does."

"Well, you and your father seem to have a pretty strong relationship now." I whispered. "I think it'd be better for you if you focused on that, rather then what you had before."

"Yeah," He sighed turning away. He stared at the carpet for a long time before turning back to me. "Hey, Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for not listening to me and coming over anyway." He smiled.

"I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else." I told him honestly as he leaned into me. His lips brushed against mine like every other time, but this was different somehow. There was a different passion to it, almost like a fire was building between us. I moaned as his hands settled over my lower back, and grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer to me.

His hands began creeping under my shirt and I didn't push him away lie I thought I would. He stopped abruptly and moved his lips to my jaw line and then down to my neck, leaving gentle kisses and making my hands fist his shirt. He moved lower and lower until he was at the tops of my breasts and I laid myself down, pulling him on top of me.

"Oh," I moaned as he began gently massaging my one breast while he peppered kisses down my stomach. I could feel him hardening underneath me as he gently rocked back and forth. I wasn't sure I was ready, but I wasn't sure if I could stop. It just felt...so good.

Until the front door opened.

"Ah, excuse me?" His mothers voice asked as he stilled on top of me. He removed his hand from my breast and sat up. "What do you think you two are doing?"

"Emmett, we sit there!" Molly wined.

"Molly, upstairs." His mother ordered. This was bad. "What were you planning on doing if I hadn't walked in?"

"I don't know, mom." He sighed as he stood up. "Sorry, things got heated."

"You better hope things don't get heated again anytime soon." She threatened as she stomped upstairs.

"So," He said awkwardly, turning towards me. "That's my mothers bad side." He laughed.

"Wow, your mothers bad side looks like Snow White compared to my dads bad side." I laughed as he handed me my coat.


	5. Would You Believe Me?

**Chapter Five: Would You Believe Me?**

* * *

The next few weeks sped by too quickly. Two and a half weeks after the accident, Emmett's father finally woke up, but he was still no where near getting out of the hospital. After he woke up, Emmett was in a much better mood. He was almost the same Emmett he was when we first started dating.

My father was also warming up to him which is something I thought would never happen. He'd met Emmett a few times and each time, Emmett was charming, intelligent, and he was a gentleman over all. But, it had only been a few short meetings before dates and my father wanted to really get to know him.

And insisted he come over for dinner Friday night.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "You can say you're busy..."

"Bella, you're dad wants to get to know me," He chuckled. "It's okay, I'm fine with having dinner with your family."

"This could be a trap." I warned.

"Then I'll be careful not to fall into it." He smiled. "Please, just take a deep breath and relax. It'll be fine."

"You're the first boy I've ever brought home." I reminded him. "This is new to them."

"Look, I'm not going to run away from you because your father intimidates me." He whispered. "I care about you too much to just leave like that. If I go away, it'll be for a very good reason not just because you have a cop for a father."

"Pinky swear?" I asked, holding out my pinky.

"Pinky swear." He laughed as he wrapped his pinky around mine. The rest of the week, I was a mess. I was still worried my father was going to make a big stink and that my mother would pull out the photo albums and show Emmett pictures I wanted burned. So, I hid all the albums in the back of my closet and constantly coached my father on how to act.

"Dad, remember what you promised!" I asked when it neared five o'clock.

"I won't mention the fact that I'm a cop and have a gun." He sighed. He always managed to scare people away with that information.

"And?"

"And I won't threaten him in any way shape or form because he's a good guy who cares about you."

"Good boy." I laughed as the doorbell rang. I made sure I was there before my mom and my heart lurched at him. He wasn't wearing anything special, but he got better and better looking each time I saw him. He really was perfect. "Hi,"

"Hi," He smiled down and brushing his lips against mine. I turned to see my mother standing behind me and turned beat red. I wasn't embarressed but she didn't need to watch everything we did. "Hello, Mrs. Swan."

"Hello, Emmett." She smiled brightly. There wasn't a person in town who didn't love my mother. She was always welcoming and being around her just made you feel good about yourself. "It's nice to see you again."

"Yes, same to you." He smiled as I took his coat and hung it up in the closet. I led him to the small kitchen where my father was taking the chicken out to the patio to grill. "Hello, sir."

"Emmett," He greeted gruffly as he closed the sliding doors.

"I hope chicken's okay." I whispered while my mother continued mashing the potato's. "And mashed potato's."

"Sounds delicious." He sighed as he kissed the top of my head.

"Guys, please go do what you want." My mother pushed. "Dinner won't be ready for another half hour."

"Okay," I said as I pulled him into the living room. "So, this is my house."

"I like it."

"You do?" I asked. "It's so small compared to yours." His father was a surgeon and his mother was an IT director. Emmett's house in Forks was the biggest in town. But, none of them ever bragged about it and they were all humble about it. Both Emmett and Molly had summer jobs and they both did chores around the house.

"Yeah, but it gets kinda lonely." He shrugged. "I mean, there's only three of us and it's a six bedroom house."

"Yeah, but at least you have more than one bathroom." I laughed. I loved our house, but an extra bathroom would be helpful.

"True, that is a perk." He laughed as I snuggled into his side. We just sat there together in each other's arms until my mother announced dinner was ready. Being with Emmett was a lot easier than I thought it would be. We could talk for hours about anything we wanted to or we could sit in complete silence the entire time we were together.

What we did really didn't matter at all. We just wanted to be in each other's company.

"So, Emmett how's school been for you?" My mother asked to get the conversations going. I could tell my father was fighting so hard to be himself and interigate him.

"Well, thanks to Bella, I have an A in my math class." He smiled, winking at me. "I've never been good at math. Other than that, nothing too exciting."

"Any honors courses?" My father asked.

"I'm in AP English and AP History."

"What kind of history?"

"US." He smiled. "I think history might be my backup if things don't work out for me."

"And, what do you wanna major in college?" My mother asked.

"I want to be a physical therapist." He answered. "If it wasn't for the one here in town, I might not be playing football."

"Why is that?"

"I shattered my ankle back in ninth grade." He explained. "This enormous line backer landed right on my ankle and I was on crutches for six months afterwards. But, Dr. Owens did miracles with me and it's because of her that I'm varsity quarterback."

"The doctors said it'd be a miracle if he ever played football again." I told them.

"But, it's because of her I'm able to play the sport I love so I wanna be able to do that for other people too." He smiled. "I just want to help people and I want to see them succeed."

"Well, it sounds like a noble profession." My father snorted, and I kicked him under the table for it.

"So, where have you applied, Emmett?" My mother asked.

"USC, Pitt, Washington University in St. Louis, and Northwestern." He answered.

"Are you going to play football in college?"

"Hopefully." He smiled. "My top pick for football is Northwestern and my top school pick is USC. I'm being recruited by both."

"Looks like you have a tough choice to make." My father sighed.

"Yeah, I do," He agreed. "I just wanna go where it's best for me."

I was surprised with how well my father behaved with Emmett. He made a few snide comments, but other than that he was actually talking with Emmett. He wasn't interigating him about what his intentions were with me or how often he drank. They talked about football and movies.

By the time the night was over, my father was laughing with him. Genuinely laughing with him, and he didn't really laugh with many people. The first boyfriend I'd ever had, and my father liked him.

"Would you like some cake to take home to your mom and sister?" My mother asked at the end of the night as Emmett was getting ready to leave.

"I'm sure they'd love that, thank you, Mrs. Swan."

"Of course." She smiled as she went back into the kitchen. I went into help her and by the time I got back, my father and Emmett looked to be having a very serious conversation. I knew I shouldn't have left him alone with Emmett, he was going to ask the question about his intentions.

"Sir, I know we haven't been dating for too long, but," Emmett started and took a deep breath. "I really care about Bella and I never want to hurt her."

"You're going to college in August." My father pointed out.

"I know, but I really don't want her getting hurt." He said. "I promise."

"I trust you," My father sighed. "Don't let me regret that."

"Yes, sir." Emmett sighed as I walked back into the room. When he had everything together, I walked him out to his car. "Your curfew isn't for another hour and a half," He whispered looking at his watch. "You wanna go for a ride?"

"Let me get my coat." I smiled as I ran back inside. We drove in circles for twenty minutes before Emmett turned down the road that led to the abandoned warehouses at the edge of town. "Why are we here?"

"Privacy." He shrugged. "I feel like no matter where we go in this town, everyone's watching us."

"Why is this place any different?"

"No one comes down here." He sighed. "Look around, the street lights don't even work anymore." He said, pointing to the poles that held the dark, yellow rectangles. He got out of the car and came around and offered me his hand. He led me towards the boarded door and pushed back the loose boards. Emmett pulled his phone out for light.

Inside was a lot different than I thought it would be. There were candles everywhere along with battery operated lanterns for light. There were pillows laying on the floor and a few dingy couches around the room. And there was a fire pit in the middle of the room.

"Emmett, why'd you bring me here?" I asked. It looked like he had other intentions other than privacy on his mind.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to try to get under your clothes." He sighed as he lit the candles. "Could you turn the lanterns on?"

"Sure," I told him and went around, flipping the switches. Soon, the room was lit a lot better than we first walked inside. Emmett lit the middle fire pit, and I walked towards it, holding my hands out for warmth. "So, what is this place used for?"

"Parties." He shrugged. "This is where a lot of the kids from school come after the football games or dances. The cops don't really come down here so people usually drink down here too."

"Oh,"

"And, I won't lie to you, people have a lot of sex here." He laughed. "Ben and Angela normally hog up the room over there."

"Why doesn't that surprise me." I laughed.

"You like Boz Scaggs?" He asked randomly as he went over to what looked like a stereo.

"Yeah, why?" I asked as he put a CD into the slot and pressed play. The room filled with a soft piano sound and I recognized it to be We're All Alone by Scaggs.

"Because he's my guilty pleasure." He smiled as he held his hand out for me. "Care to dance?"

"I'd love to." I smiled as he pulled me close to him. He wrapped his hands tightly around my waist and started swaying to the music. I felt safe in his arms and I never wanted this to end. Ever.

_Let it out, let it all begin._

"This was my mom and dad's song at their wedding." He told me. "Even though they aren't together anymore, listening to it reminds me that they were happy. They did love each other at one time."

"They did," I nodded as I buried my head in his shoulder.

"Close the window. Calm the light, and it will be alright. No need to bother now. Let it out let it all begin. Throw it to the wind my love. Hold me dear." He quietly sung along. "All's forgotten now my love. We're all alone..."

"You have a beautiful voice." I cooed as the song ended.

"Thank you." He laughed, kissing the top of my head. The CD was an oldies greatest hits and we danced the night away listening to the Bee Jee's and The Beatles until it was time for me to turn back into a pumpkin.

* * *

"Does any family of yours come in for Thanksgiving?" Emmett asked Monday morning as we drove to school.

"No, my dad's parents died when I was younger and my moms are in Jackson and they're too old to travel." I sighed. We only got to see them during the summer and we normally only stayed a few days. "Flying is too expensive or else we'd go down there for every holiday."

"That's disappointing." He sighed.

"What about yours?"

"Well, Molly and I normally go to our dad's place for Thanksgiving and he comes to Forks for Christmas but under the circumstances, we're staying here. My mom's parents are flying in from Chicago instead of her going there. Anyway, my mom was wondering if you didn't have any big plans if you guys would like to come to Thanksgiving dinner with us."

"My whole family?"

"Yeah," He smiled. "She wants to meet your parents and I think it's a good idea. Plus, my mom's always looking for help in cooking the meal."

"I can ask, but my dad's old fashion." I told him. "And, if you haven't noticed...social contact makes him squirmy."

"He wasn't that bad!" He defended. And, if I were being honest, he was right. He was squirmy for a little bit in the beginning, but after they started talking, my dad calmed down. "And, there will be other adults there this time so he won't have to just focus on the new boyfriend."

"Like I said, I'll ask." I told him. "But, I can't promise anything."

Contrary to my beliefs, both my parents accepted the invitation with open arms. My mom told me she'd been dying to meet Emmett's family and my father just went along with what my mom said. For once he didn't try to argue with her about it. The week leading up to break was complete hell. Everyone was jittery just wanting to get out of school for a while and every teacher thought it'd be a good idea to test everyone in the last days we had.

Finally, Wednesday came and it was time for five wonderful days off. Since both Angela and Alice were going away for break, Emmett and I had all break to be with each other and just thinking about it made me excited. Since we weren't limited in what we could do since we'd have all day, we were free to go anywhere we wanted. Within reason.

"My mom said come over whenever." He told me as we sat in front of my house the house after school. He told me he needed to spend sometime with Jasper before he left for Texas for break since they'd both been hanging out with other people more than each other.

"Okay, I think my mom said something about four o'clock."

"That should be fine." He smiled.

"You do know this means we won't get any alone time tomorrow night, right?" I asked. "Like at all."

"I just want to be around you." He shrugged. "I don't care if we're alone or not."

"How do you know exactly what to say?" I laughed, leaning in for a kiss.

"It's a gift." He told me. We spent another few minutes talking before I headed inside. My mother was already preparing her pumpkin pie when I walked inside and I decided to make myself useful and help her. I'd always wanted to learn how to cook, I just never had time. The only thing I really knew how to bake was cookies, and Alice usually made the dough anyway.

My mother had me up early Thursday morning to start prepping for dinner. She was in charge of the potato's, carrots, and green beans and she was a mad woman in the kitchen claiming it had to be perfect since it was the first time she'd be meeting Emmett's mother.

"Bella, you can go get ready." She smiled when she looked at the clock after an entire morning of peeling and mashing. I bowed out and headed to the shower and when I got out, my mother was actually out of the kitchen, waiting to get in the bathroom. I went in my room and changed into sweat pants.

"You aren't wearing those, are you?" My dad asked as he poked his head inside while I sat at my vanity and did my makeup.

"No, but I don't wanna get makeup on my dress." I laughed.

"Makeup?" He asked. "Since when do you wear makeup?"

"I've always worn makeup." I shrugged.

"Bella, the only time I've seen you wear makeup was for a dance." He sighed, sitting down on my bed. "Don't change who you are because of a boy."

"I'm not changing myself for Emmett, dad." I huffed. "I just thought this was a nice occasion and I should wear makeup."

"Promise?"

"I swear I won't change who I am because of what others think or because of a boy." I told him. "Now, get out." I laughed and he thankfully left. After finishing my make up and scrunching my hair, I slipped into the dress Alice had bought me for my birthday. Once everyone was finally ready, we headed to the McCarty's.

"This is where...they live?" My father asked as we pulled into the driveway. I didn't exactly worn them that Emmett was loaded since both his parents had extremely high paying jobs. I only prayed he didn't make a big deal out of it.

"Yep, nice huh?" I asked, trying to sound as casual as possible. I headed up the porch and rang the doorbell and after a few seconds, it swung open.

"Hey!" Molly squealed when she saw us. "Come on inside."

"Thanks, Molls." I smiled. "Molly, this is my mom and dad."

"I'm Emmett's little sister." She introduced as she took our coats. "Emmett's in the den, Bella."

"Thanks," I smiled as I heard heals clicking on the hard wood floors. Emmett's mom appeared in the archway with a big smile on her face.

"Hello," She said cheerfully as she wiped her hands on the towel in her hands. "I'm Esme, Emmett's mother."

"It's nice to meet you." My mother smiled back at her. "The food is in the car, Charlie, would you go grab it?"

"Sure," He smiled as he went back inside. I headed down the hall and went downstairs to their den. Emmett was watching the highlights from the Packers-Lions game that had just ended.

"Who won?" I asked, making his jump. He turned and smiled at me as he stood up and walked over to me. He gently brushed his lips over mine and then pulled me over to the couch. I saw down beside him and snuggled into his side like always.

"Lions." He sighed.

"That's bad?"

"I'm more of a Green Bay fan." He laughed. "But, I'm really itching to see who wins the Steeler-Ravens game."

"Who do you wanna win?" I asked.

"The Steelers by a long shot." He answered like I'd asked an absurd question.


	6. I'm Gonna Run

**Chapter Six: I'm Gonna Run**

* * *

"Bella! Emmett! Come on!" Molly called from the top of the stairs once dinner was ready. When we walked upstairs, the table was set and everyone was seated. Emmett pulled out my chair like the gentleman he is and scooted it back in for me.

"My family and I have a tradition of going around and saying what we are thankful for at dinner." Esme explained. "Emmett, you wanna start?"

"Sure," He smiled. "I'm thankful for a roof over my head, a good education...a good football season, and Bella." He said, making me blush.

"I'll go," My mother said happily. "I'm thankful for my family, my wonderful job and the children I get to teach and I'm thankful to live another day."

"Amen!" Emmett's grandmother cheered. "I'm thankful for cheap airfare so we could come and spend the holiday with my beautiful grandkids."

"Same!" His grandfather chimed in.

"Molly, sweetie, what are you thankful for?" Esme asked.

"I'm thankful for the doctors taking care of dad." She said, surprising everyone at the table. "And, I'm thankful we didn't lose him."

"Wow," Emmett mumbled beside me.

"Well, I am thankful for my beautiful wife and Bella," My father said. "And the Seahawks winning streak."

"Nice, dad." I laughed.

"Well, I am thankful for my children and my job." Esme started. "I am thankful for the chance to spend some time with new friends tonight. And, I am thankful for all Bella has done for my son. She's truly a gift." She told me and I had to bite my lip to keep from crying. She was being so nice and I just couldn't help myself.

"Well, I'm thankful for the freedom we have." I told them. "After hearing about everything bad in this world and after hearing about what people in Syria have to deal with...I'm thankful to live in a country where I'm free. Free to speak, be with the person I love and just live."

"Well said, Bells." My dad said proudly as he raised his beer. "To freedom."

"To freedom." Everyone agreed, raising their glasses. The meal went fabulously. My mother and Esme got along way too well, my father was talking sports with his grandpa and his grandmother continued to dote on me. Asking me questions and complimenting on how 'darn cute' I was.

"Shall we go into the living room for coffee and desert?" Esme asked after everyone had unbuckled their belts from being so stuffed.

"There's _more_ food?" Molly complained. We all got up with a groan and waddled into the living room. Emmett sat in the recliner chair and pulled me into his lap. At first, I feared my father would say something, but he only smiled as he sat down next to my mother.

I couldn't have believed it if someone told me that my father would actually like the first boyfriend I ever had. I always imagined I'd never be able to have the two in the same room, but here we were, at Thanksgiving together and I was sitting on a boys lap and all he did was smile. I knew then that Emmett was in with my father and I said a silent thank you to God for giving me Emmett.

The night passed on pretty much the same. Everyone was getting along and laughing. My moms pie was as good as it ever had been and everyone ate more than they should have. Molly brought out Catchphrase for everyone to play and I didn't think a game could get that heated. I almost got hit in the head with the plastic disk that thankfully, Emmett caught.

"No!" I shouted at my dad. "You can't do that!"

"Do what?"

"You said a word that rhymes with space!" I told you. "You can't do that!"

"Fine!" He huffed, throwing it in my mothers lap.

After the game was put away, and Molly was near passing out, my mother asked the question she'd been dying to ask.

"So, how long with Mr. McCarty be in the hospital for?" She asked.

"They aren't sure," Esme answered as she looked at the ground. "But, he has nurses lined up for when he goes back home."

"You won't be caring for him?" She asked and I felt Emmett go stiff. I never told them about the divorce...which was stupid on my part.

"Emmett's father and I are divorced." She told them. "For ten years now."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." She smiled and grandma quickly changed the subject. Emmett pulled me out onto their deck as the grownups talked about politics and Molly slept in her grandfather's lap.

"Why didn't you tell your parents mine were divorced?" He asked and I really hoped this wouldn't turn into a big fight.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I just never said anything. I swear, it doesn't mean anything that I didn't say anything."

"I know," He smiled, taking my hand. "But..my mother has never liked talking about it and when people bring it up her mood usually turns sour for the rest of the night."

"We'll be leaving soon anyway." I shrugged. "I really am sorry."

"It's okay." He lied. "You know, my mom made Molly and I take her maiden name after the divorce. She said it was too painful to hear his name everyday so she went to City Hall and legally changed our names...she didn't even tell us about it. One day in class, a sub was taking attendance and kept saying 'Emmett McCarty' and it wasn't until a kid told me that she was calling my name did I realize my name had been changed."

"Wow,"

"I don't know what happened, Bella." He told me as he stared out into the woods that surrounded their backyard. "My mom keeps telling me that they just weren't meant for each other and they fell out of love."

"Maybe that's true."

"No, it isn't." He sighed. "My mom cried herself to sleep every night for two years after the divorce and she ruined an entire photo album by throwing it into the fireplace. My grandpa had to fish it out so the house wouldn't catch on fire." He told me. "You don't do that if you just 'fell out of love'"

"What do you think happened?" I asked.

"I don't know." He sighed. "But, Molly knows and that's why she doesn't talk to him. Somehow, she found out."

"How do you know that's why she doesn't speak with him?"

"Because...she loved our dad. She was the definition of a 'daddy's girl' before she was ten." He explained. "Whatever happened...she found out and he made her promise not to tell me."

"I think they didn't tell you because they didn't want to hurt you or you to hate your father." I told him. "But, you're eighteen now and have a right to know."

"You think?"

"I'd wanna know why my parents split up...even if it was painful."

* * *

Emmett asked his mother what happened between her and his father and she refused to tell him. He fought and fought but she wouldn't budge and I had a feeling Emmett was going to give up on it. He told me if it's so bad then maybe he doesn't actually want to know.

His parents divorce, however, had no reflection in the way he treated me. I didn't like to use the word, but there was no other word to describe him but perfect. Everything he did was just right. He was always and gentleman and when I didn't think I'd be able to stop, he pulled away when things were getting too heated.

Tuesday morning was back to school and back to hardly seeing each other. With my girls nights, we really only got to see each other once a week, and if we were lucky, one day after school. But, not seeing each other often had no affect on how we felt about each other. When we were together, we made every moment worth it.

"What's going to happen in August when you leave?" I asked as we cuddled together in front of a fire.

"What do you mean?" He asked, kissing the top of my head.

"When you leave for college." I sighed. "None of the colleges you want to go to are in Washington, and they aren't anywhere close either. Pitt's all the way across the country."

"I know," He whispered. "It's a sacrifice I have to make. They all have the best physical therapy programs in the country."

"I know that and I'm not asking you to give up any of the schools you want to go to." I told him. "I just wanna know what's going to happen to us."

"We're going to do everything we can to make it work." He said. "And, next August you'll be headed off to school."

"What if that pushes us further apart?"

"Bella, we can sit here, dealing with the what if's of the future, or we can savior every single moment we have together." He whispered in my ear. "I choose savioring the moment."

"I want to, but every time I think of you leaving...I get this knot in my stomach like...something bad is going to happen."

"Nothing bad will happen." He tried assuring me. "We're still going to be us, just in different places."

"Promise?"

"Promise." He giggled. "Plus, you're dad likes me too much. If we break up and you start seeing someone else, he might explode."

"Very true." I agreed, turning my head to face him. "I love you."

"I love you too." He whispered, leaning down and bringing his lips to mine. The position we were in was awkward so I sat up and leaned back into him. He pulled me onto his lap so I was now straddling him and I began rocking my hips against him and I could feel him hardening beneath me.

I moaned into his mouth as he bucked his hips, creating a friction we both craved. I pulled at his hair as his lips moved from my lips to my neck, sucking on the spot that made me go crazy. I threw my head back as his mouth traveled down even further until it was at the top of my breast.

I pulled back and reached for the hem of the t-shirt I was wearing and pulled it over my head. His eyes widened when he saw me and I realized this was the first time he'd seen me in my bra. Even though we'd seen each other at the pool during the summer in bathing suits, this was different. He finally smiled at me and went back to kissing the tops of my breasts.

My moaned got louder as we continued grinding on each other and then, I was reaching for the buttons on his shirt. I slowly unbuttoned them until his shirt fell open. I didn't think it was possible, but he was even more built since the last time I saw him shirtless and I went and began kissing his pecks and I sucked at his nipples, earning a low, gruff moan.

However, our moment didn't last very long because no matter how good it felt, I wasn't ready yet. Not there on his couch and especially not with his mother upstairs in the living room. I pulled back and tried catching my breath.

"I'm sorry," I whispered as I tried getting off his lap, but he held me down. "Emmett?"

"It's okay," He smiled, but I knew he was having a hard time saying that. We'd never gone that far before and I knew he was starting to get really excited. I could feel him through his jeans and I knew he was uncomfortable. "You aren't ready."

"I shouldn't lead you on like that."

"Maybe not," He laughed. "But, I'll be fine."

"I...I said I wasn't ready for sex yet." I told him as I slipped off his lab and reached for the button of his jeans. I slowly unbuttoned them and slid the zipped down.

"Bella,"

"I never said anything about anything else." I told him.

"Bella, I'm fine." He lied, but even though he was verbally trying to stop me, he wasn't pushing me away or pulling me back up to him. I pulled at the waistline of his jeans and he lifted his butt up so I could pull them down his legs. Once his jeans were at his ankles, I could see him clearly through his boxers. He was big. Bigger than I thought he was.

"You really don't have to do this." He fought as I rubbed his cock through his underwear.

"I don't _have_ to, I know." I smiled as I leaned in and began peppering it with kisses and he began bucking his hips at me. "I _want_ to though."

"Jesus," He cussed as I reached for the band of his boxers. When his boxers were down far enough, his cock sprang free and I could only stare at it like an idiot. It was _huge_.

"Bella," He tried fighting again, but stopped protesting when I wrapped my hand around his shaft. I slowly began pumping his cock and he gripped the edge of the couch with his hand and closed his eyes tightly. I hoped it was out of pleasure. I remembered Angela telling me a good hand-job required a good rhythm, gentleness, and attention to _all_ parts of him.

I wrapped my other hand around his penis and started twisting both hands in opposite directions, and by the sounds of his moans, he seemed to be enjoying it.

"Shit," He cried as a bead of moisture gathered at the tip of his cock and I used my thumb and gently spread it around the head. He hissed loudly, bucking into my hand as I continued to caress the sensitive skin. I took a deep breath and ran my tongue over his head and I could feel his body tensing with pleasure.

I finally closed my mouth around his cock and slowly bobbing my head up and down while maintaining the rhythm I'd created using my hands. I continued this for a while before I remembered Ang telling me that changing it up will make them go crazy, so I backed away so my mouth was no longer around his cock and gently blew on it, and I saw goosebumps errupt all over his body.

I reclosed my mouth over his shaft and got my rhythm going again. I could tell by the way his was bucking his hips into my mouth and his loud moans that he was close so I upped my pace and soon, he was gripping my hair so hard I thought he'd pull some of it out.

"Shit...Bella, I'm gonna come!" He cried. "Fuck!"

His final curse word was followed by a hard thrust and warm liquid spurt into my mouth. I quickly swallowed, ignoring the taste and looked up at him. His arms were lying bonelessly on the couch and he still hadn't opened his eyes. I eased my mouth off his softening member and stood up and sat down next to him.

"And...you've never done that before?" He asked as he opened his eyes and turned to me. I smiled and shook my head and he leaned in and gave me a quick peck on the lips before bending down and pulling his pants up. "Damn, girl."

"What can I say?" I asked, shrugged my shoulder and he pulled me into his side again. "I'm a natural."

"Got that right."

"Emmett?" I asked.

"What?"

"Do you have any gum?"I asked, unable to contain my laughter. The taste was lingering in my mouth and it wasn't the best thing that had ever been in my mouth.

"Yeah," He sighed as he stood up, composed himself and went upstairs. I pulled my shirt back on and pulled a blanket over my. Emmett returned with gum and a bowel of popcorn and we turned on a lame TV movie.

* * *

"No. Way!" Angela squealed the next day at her house. "You gave Emmett a blow-job?"

"Yep." I smiled. "And, he came."

"Damn, you must be a natural." She laughed.

"That's what he told me." I told her and turned to Alice who looked disappointed in me. "Alice,"

"It's okay." She spat. "I'm not going to judge you for doing that. It's your life."

"Alice, I'm still a virgin."

"I know," She nodded, but she still didn't seem happy at all. I mean, I knew she wouldn't be congratulating me but I didn't think she'd be this cold towards me. "I told you, do what you want."

"Why are you acting like this?" I asked and Angela sat back in her seat, desperately trying not to get in the middle of this. "You were practically jumping for joy when Angela told us she got to third base."

"Angela and Ben were together a lot longer than you and Emmett!" She yelled.

"So?" I asked. "They've been together since diapers."

"And up until this year, Emmett McCarty didn't pay any attention to you."

"I thought you were happy for me that I was finally dating the guy of my dreams?"

"I was happy you were dating him, I don't know if I like how serious you two have gotten in two months."

"It doesn't matter how much time we've been together, we love each other!"

"After two months?" She asked. "Jasper didn't say anything for almost a year of us being together."

"Emmett's more straight forward." I shrugged. "It doesn't matter thought! Why can't you be supportive?"

"Because I don't trust him!" She finally told me and although I was getting pissed off at her, I was glad she was finally being honest with me about him. "I don't trust that after all these years, he's suddenly interested."

"He told me it wasn't all of a sudden." I whispered.

"Yeah, to get into your pants, Bella!" She shouted. "You of all people shouldn't be falling for this!"

"Why is it so hard to believe that someone like Emmett is interested in me? Is it because I'm plain Jane and you're miss perfect and he doesn't want you?"

"You think I'm jealous?"

"Well, it sounds like that to me."

"I don't want Emmett."

"Yeah, but you want his attention." I said, wishing I hadn't.

"Are you saying I crave attention?" She asked.

"Yes," I answered honestly. I loved her to death, but she was an attention whore. "Alice, I already have a mom to tell me what to do I don't need that from you too."

"I'm not trying to tell you what to do." She sighed, sitting back down in the chair. "I just really don't want you doing things you're going to regret and then being hurt by him. You deserve better, Bella."

"Alice, you have to trust me." I told her. "I trust Emmett. Maybe I shouldn't, but I do. And I just want you to be supportive."

"But,"

"And if you can't be supportive, just keep your mouth shut because I hate fighting with you." I said. "And I don't want Emmett coming in between us, and I'm not letting him go anytime soon."

"Agree to disagree?" She asked.

"I can live with that," I smiled, wrapping my arms around her. Angela stood up and hugged both of us and I was so glad that was over. Even though our fights only lasted ten minutes, I was so glad it was done and forgotten.


	7. If I Don't Say This Now

**Chapter Seven: If I Don't Say This Now**

* * *

"So, what do you think you'll get Emmett for Christmas?" Alice asked the next weekend as we shopped together. I had never thought I was good at buying people presents, but people all seemed to like the things I got them. My father was easy, anything dealing with sports and he was happy. My mother was a little more difficult, but she always liked what I bought and wore it, even if it was horrible.

But, my two best friends were near impossible to buy gifts for and I hadn't even thought of what I'd get Emmett. I'd never had a boyfriend before and his birthday was in July, so this was the first time I'd be buying him something other than a movie ticket.

"No idea." I sighed. "How do you think of a gift for Jasper?"

"I listen to him." She smiled. "And then I put my mind to work. For instance, what's a guilty pleasure of Emmett's?"

"Boz Scaggs." I giggled, remembering a few weeks ago in the abandoned warehouse when we danced the night away.

"Maybe try and find something...Boz Scaggs related then." She said, trying to hold back her laughter. "Or what's he wanna major in?"

"Physical therapy."

"He's a difficult one, huh?" She asked.

We continued to look around and I had managed to buy or plan a gift for everyone else but Emmett. I got my dad a throwback Seahawks jersey and a pizza brick since its the only thing she'd been talking about for months. But, Emmett...his gift had to be perfect and I was going crazy with what to get him.

"You could always give him sex." Angela shrugged that night at dinner.

"Angela!" Alice scolded.

"Oh come on, you know I'm right!" She defended. "There's nothing guys love more."

"Don't listen to her, Bella." Alice sighed. "You don't have to give him sex. That is something you two will do in time and it shouldn't be given as a Christmas present."

"Alice, I wasn't going to listen to her." I assured her. "I promise."

"How can you treat sex like it's no big deal?" Alice asked. I knew she had been holding in how disappointed she was when she found out Angela wasn't a virgin anymore. Alice wasn't a saint by any means, but she believed you should only be with one person in life and so did I.

"Because it isn't one." Angela shrugged. "I know you think you're this perfect angel child, but you're no better than I am."

"Excuse me?" Alice yelled, drawing attention to our table.

"Guys, please." I pleaded, but they already decided to argue with each other.

"At least I'm not going and getting drunk with Jasper down at the old warehouses all the time." Angela said and I was shocked. Alice never told me anything about drinking, and we promised each other we would get drunk together for the first time. "And at least I don't come to school hung over like once a week."

"Alice?" I asked.

"Yeah, well I'm not the one who's pregnant!" She snapped and she knew she'd taken it too far. By the tears in Angela's eyes, I knew Alice was telling the truth and was honestly hurt. Not that she was pregnant at seventeen, but the fact that she didn't tell both of us. "Angela..."

"I trusted you, Alice!" She screamed as she stood up and ran out of the diner. I turned to Alice who had tears streaming down her face and flagged down our waitress. I paid for the food we never got and dragged Alice out and into my car. She was sobbing once I pulled into my driveway.

"Talk,"

"She isn't sure." Alice said after she'd caught her breath. "She took a pregnancy test and it said positive, but she wants to go to a real doctor to be sure."

"But, she's on birth control..."

"No she's not." Alice told me. "They use condoms...most of the time."

"She said she was on the pill."

"Her mom wouldn't budge and it's expensive."

"But...so is a baby?"

"Mrs. Webber thinks Ang is a saint who would never even think about having sex before marriage. Ben too." Alice sighed. "I "And it isn't that she didn't wanna tell you but I caught her buying the test or else I wouldn't know either."

"When's her doctor appointment?"

"Next week." Alice cried. "I feel horrible, she told me this in confidence and I threw it in her face."

"Well, you told her things in confidence, apparently." I sighed. I was still pissed she was getting drunk all the time.

"I just...I know how you feel about alcohol and...and I wanted to have fun."

"Your father is an alcoholic and you still think it's a good idea to be 'having fun?' Alice, your'e smarter than that." I sighed. "Emmett's dad killed three people because he was drunk when he was driving."

"I'm not that stupid."

"You're dumb enough to be drinking." I told her. "How can I be so sure you won't be dumb enough to drink and then get in the car?"

"Jasper would never let me do that."

"Jasper's drinking with you!" I argued. "What's to say he won't wanna drive and you'll get in the car with him?"

"Bella, please." She cried. "I'm fine, I promise."

"I just...I want you to be okay."

"I will be," She tried assuring me but that's what everyone always said before they hit rock bottom. "Now, can we go to Angela's...I have some apologizing to do."

"Sure," I smiled, turning the key and backing out of the driveway.

* * *

A week later, Angela's pregnancy was confirmed and she was due in the middle of June. She'd been home with the 'flu' ever since this confirmation and for once, Alice and I didn't know how to help her. Ben wasn't mature enough to be a father and she had such a bright future ahead of her. Her mother would blow a gasket and I was honestly afraid she'd kick Angela out.

I just felt so helpless. I always knew there were consequences, but I didn't think she'd actually have to live with them. I always imagined when either of us had a baby, we'd be married with good jobs and would help each other house hunt. I always imagined Alice decorating the nursery, me reading up on pregnancy's and new babies, and Ang would be thinking up ways to have fun once the baby came.

I always thought we'd be married and excited to come out with the news. That our parents would be crying out of joy with the news they were going to be grandparents, not crying because their seventeen year old was pregnant. And, Angela was young for our grade. She'd just turned seventeen around Thanksgiving.

"Angela, you have to tell her." We pushed that Friday after her doctor appointment. "I mean, she's going to figure it out eventually...you know when you go into labor in June."

"I can't, Bella." She sobbed. "I can't do that to her. She has a hard enough time taking care of Cam and I on her own. I can't tell her that I'm adding a new person to live in this house with us."

"Angela, she's your mom." Alice reminded her. "She loves you."

"She won't after I tell her this."

"We'll be with you." I assured her. "Every step of the way. No matter what happens with everyone else, we're here."

"Yeah, you can count on us being there in the delivery room with you." Alice giggled.

"She's going to hate me."

"She'll never hate you, no matter how badly you screw up." I smiled. "She loves you and Cameron so much it's kind of rediculous."

"She's going to hate Ben." She argued. She was going to try and find every excuse in the book to hold off saying anything about this to her mom or anyone else for that matter. "This is exactly what happened to her and my father, and look how well that turned out?"

"Ben isn't your father." Alice told her. Angela's father left when Angela was just three years old and had Cameron from a one night stand after he left. She never trusted a guy again, and even though she liked Ben, she didn't trust him like she should have. "He's a good guy."

"So?" She asked. "All guys seem good until they get you pregnant. Then their real sides show."

"Look, Angela, this is something you simply can't avoid telling your mother." Alice sighed. "Or Ben for that matter. They deserve to know...especially Ben."

"I don't wanna lose him." She shrugged.

"Look, you and Ben have been together since you were in diapers." I smiled. "That's almost longer than the time my parents have been married. He loves you and I know he'd never leave you because of this."

"What if he does?" She asked, and I couldn't make any promises. I had a very strong feeling he wouldn't leave, but there was that possibility he would.

"Then, you have us." Alice assured her, grabbing her hand.

"You want us to go down with you?" I asked.

"No, but if you don't mind...could you wait outside?" She asked. "I have a feeling I'm going to need somewhere to go once I tell her."

"We'll do whatever you need us to." I smiled as we grabbed our things.

Alice and I waited outside the kitchen window, listening in to their conversation. At first, Angela stuttered and drug out the conversation for as long as she could, but eventually her mother grew annoyed and Angela finally told her. Her mother was silent for a long time before we heard glass breaking and a chair scooting across the floor.

We could hear her pacing inside and then, she started to scream. Out of all the years I'd known her, I'd never heard her mother yell before. Not even when Angela broke a vase her father had given to her when Angela was born. She yelled for over an hour and once she was done yelling, their voices were so soft we couldn't hear anything.

Alice and I went to wait in the car and after a few minutes, Angela came outside with a duffle bag in her hands. I always thought it could happen, but I really wanted to be wrong thinking she'd kick her out of the house. Angela got into the back of the truck and didn't say a word. Alice and I silently agreed Ang would stay with me until things got situated.

I dropped Alice off first before turning to go back to my house. When I pulled into the driveway, I turned to Angela and she nodded, saying she was ready. We went inside and my father looked like he'd just gotten home and they were sitting at the kitchen table, each reading their own magazine.

"Hey, girls." My mother smiled, oblivious to the bag Angela was holding. "Where's Alice?"

"Mom?" I asked and they both looked up at me. They seemed to get the message and my mother went to get the pull-out couch ready for me to sleep on. Angela was family to me and my parents loved her like they loved me. My father took Angela upstairs and I heard him shut his bedroom door.

"How did this happen?" My mom asked while they were still upstairs talking.

"Her mother wouldn't pay for the pill," I shrugged. "The condom either broke or they didn't use one at all."

"I just never thought Angela was that stupid." She sighed. "Don't you ever do this to us!" She warned.

"Don't worry, Mom." I nodded. "I won't. Promise."

* * *

Angela had officially moved in with us. We rearranged my room to make room for a bed and I made room in my closet. I knew it wasn't permenant, especially with a baby on the way, but we prayed and hoped Ben's family would take her in once her pregnancy moved along.

Ben was a lot more supportive than she thought he'd be and hugged her tightly when she told him. He wasn't happy, but he was supporting her no matter what. His mother was also more approving than Angela's and agreed that Angela would move in with them by the time the baby was born.

With all the Angela drama, I'd barely seen Emmett for a week and a half. It was hell not seeing him often.

"So, how are the parents-to-be doing?" Emmett asked as we decorated their Christmas tree. It was my favorite time of year and I got to spend it with him and his family. Each and every time I went over his house, I felt more like family by the minute.

"Stressed." I sighed. "Angela is freaking out and she can't make any decsions right now."

"I think they should give the baby up for adoption." Emmett shrugged. "I mean, they're only kids."

"Yeah, but it's still their baby."

"Are we talking about the pregnant junior?" Molly asked as her and his mother came back into the family room with hot chocolate.

"Molly!" Emmett scolded.

"It was a question!" Molly defended.

"Yeah, Molly." I sighed. "She's one of my best friends."

"Oh, sorry."

'You should be!"

"Enough!" Esme scolded. "This is fun family time, do not ruin this."

"She started it." Emmett mumbled, but I was the only who heard it. We continued to hang decorations and soon, the tree was full of tinsel, ornaments, and lights. Esme turned off the lights and soon, the only light in the house was the tree. I leaned back into Emmett and he protectively wrapped his arms around me.

"It's beautiful." I whispered as he kissed the top of my head.

"Yeah, it really it." He agreed. Molly and his mother left us to be alone by the tree and he pulled me down on the couch to sit next to him. I snuggled into his side and we just sat there in each other's arms, the faint sound of Christmas music in the back round, looking at the beautiful tree.

"I love you." He whispered. I turned my head to look at him and something about him made my heart melt. There was just something in his eyes that always seemed to speak to me.

"I love you." I told him as he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. But, our perfect little world didn't last long becuase soon, the clock was striking eleven forty-five and it was time for me to get home. We drove home, taking our time to look at the Christmas lights everyone had hanging and I couldn't help but feel good.

For the first time, I was truly happy with my life. I had a great family who I loved dearly, good friends who would do anything for me and vise versa, an amazing boyfriend who would go to the ends of the earth for me. I always told people I was happy and I didn't need anything else. But, having Emmett made me realize what I was really missing in my life.

Not the boyfriend necessarily, but someone who loved me. Really loved me for who I was inside. Someone who I could love with an intensity I thought could only exist in movies. Someone to hold me when I was upset and make me laugh when I was having a bad day. Someone to be their unconditionally.

"So, tell Angela I said hi." He smiled as we stood at the front door.

"Will do." I laughed as he bent down and brushed his lips against mine. But, our goodbye was cut short because the porch light turned on and the door opened. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes," He sighed, kissing my nose, and turning to leave.

* * *

"So, Ben's taking this well." Jasper chuckled as he sat down at the lunch table the following Monday. "You think he's going to do this?"

"I wanna believe in him," I sighed. "But, I don't know if I can. I mean, Ben's always been a little...unpredictable."

"But he loves Angela." Alice pointed out.

"Yeah, a lot of teenagers love their girlfriends until they have to face reality and be resposable." I sighed. I wanted to trust Ben, but I just couldn't. Not in this situation. Not when everything was at stake. Emmett came over and sat down next to me, putting his arm around my shoulder.

"I just want her to be okay." I cried as I fell into Jasper's arms. My best friend in the entire world was having a baby and I had no idea what the future had in store for her. I had no idea what her plans were or if Ben would stick around. the only thing I wanted was for her to be okay.

"She will be." Jasper assured me. "She has a guy who's sticking by her side, friends who will be there the entire way, and she's smart, Bella."

"Yeah, smart enough to get pregnant."

"People make mistakes." He shrugged as I saw Emmett walking into the cafeteria. He walked over, but once he saw the tears in my eyes he pulled me onto my feet and led me out into the hallway. He didn't have to ask me what was wrong. He just knew. He pulled me into a tight hug and let me cry.

I was thankful to have Emmett in my life. I never knew how much I needed him until right now. I felt like the walls were closing in on me and no matter how much anyone else tried to help, Emmett was the only one who could push them away. We fit together so well and I was so glad I had him.


	8. Never End

**Chapter Eight: Never End**

* * *

Finally, the last bell rang and school was out for an entire two weeks. I was free to spend time with my friends and my boyfriend and not have any other worries. It was a wonderful feeling walking out of school with Emmett, knowing we didn't have to go back for a while, and we were free to just be with each other.

"You know, they're calling for a white Christmas?" Emmett asked as we turned down his street. "They say we're supposed to get at least four inches."

"I love Christmas." I sighed as we pulled into his driveway. "It just...makes me happy, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it." He laughed as he got out and came around to open my door for me. We headed inside and the smell of his mothers cookies instantly hit me. As we took our shoes out, Emmett and I couldn't contain ourselves as we heard her singing along to Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.

Emmett grabbed my hand and pulled me into the kitchen, and we burst into laughter. She was covered in flower, dancing and singing...and she didn't have a care in the world.

"Having fun, mom?" Emmett asked as he grabbed a cookie off a cooling rack.

"Yep," She giggled. "Bella, help yourself."

"Thanks...but are you feeding an army?" I asked as I picked up a Snowman shaped cookie.

"No, I love baking." She smiled. "Plus, I'm sending some to your grandparents, and Aunt Maria and you're welcome to take some home, Bella."

"Thanks, I will." I nodded as I took a bite. Esme was a great cook, but her baking was out of this world. Emmett and I spent some time with her in the kitchen before he grabbed my hand and pulled my down to the basement. Once he was sure his mother was distracted, he slowly closed the door and came downstairs where I was waiting.

"I feel like we're never alone." He gasped as he crashes his lips into mine. It had been a while since we were able to be like this since we'd both been busy studying for midterms and spending time with our families, getting into the Christmas spirit. I grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled, earning a loan moan in my mouth.

His tongue brushed up against my bottom lip and I eagerly opened my mouth, letting him in. Our tongues danced together in rhythm as he grabbed my ass, picking me up off the ground. I wrapped my legs around his hips and began gently grinding on him, and I could feel him hardening beneath me.

He carried me over to the couch and set me down, and stood up to pull his t-shirt off. I took a second to admire his beautiful body before his hungry lips came back to mine. He began playing with the hem of my shirt as his lips traveled down my jaw and then, found the sweet spot on my neck.

"Shit, Emmett." I moaned as he sucked on my sensitive skin, and I pulled his hair even harder, to the point I thought some would end up in my hands.

"I don't hear the TV!" Esme called down as she opened the door. "Emmett Alexander, you better be behaving yourself."

"Yes, mother!" He called up after he sat up and grabbed his shirt and pulled it on. He turned the TV on and made sure the volume to make a point, and pulled me into his side.

"You know, this wouldn't happen if you'd stop trying while your mother was upstairs!" I pointed out as he shifted on the couch to try and get comfortable.

"Well, you aren't allowed in my room." He huffed. "So, it isn't like she can be downstairs."

"You know what I mean," I sighed. "Emmett Alexander."

"Hey," He laughed, smacking my arm. "Don't you middle name me."

"I. Just. Did." I said through my teeth before he looked over at my and cracked a smile before grabbing my hips and pulling me down on top of him. I brought my lips to his and for a while, we just kissed. There was no grinding, or pawing at clothes. We were just gently kissing each other and I eventually brought my head to lay on his chest.

"I love you," He whispered as he stroked my back.

"I love you too." I told him as I lifted my head and gently kissed him again. Just as things started going again, Molly called us up for dinner.

"So, what does your family do for Christmas, Bella?" Esme asked as she passed around the dish of green beans.

"We stay at home, and my mom and I make dinner while my father watches some sports game." I laughed. "He gets kinda cranky in the winter since footballs over and he has to wait until March for baseball."

"Their father was the exact same way." She laughed, catching all of us off guard. She never talked about Carlisle. "You just have dinner?"

"Well, my mom's best friend comes back into town and her family comes over later, but yeah we've never done anything super fancy before." I shrugged. "My mom doesn't like making a big deal out of it since it's supposed to be about family and loved ones."

"Cheers to that." Emmett giggled as he raised his Coke can. I rolled my eyes as I clanked my glass against his and took a sip.

I loved my family, but being with Emmett's was different. There was a different feel to the air...it was lest harsh. My father was the sweetest person you'd ever meet, but he was rough around the edges and it took a lot to sand him down. But, being with Emmett was easy. You didn't really have to watch what you said.

It was also nice having other kids at the table. I was an only child and although I did like the peace it brought, I felt gipped when my mom and dad didn't come home with a baby like my other friends. I was always jealous of them. But, being with Molly made that jealousy melt away and I felt like apart of their family.

* * *

After spending the entire weekend together, it was finally time for Emmett and I to exchange gifts with each other. I was sweating as I walked up the path towards his door and my hands were shaking and I was afraid I was going to drop the box. I didn't know why I was freaking out so much. Even if he hated it, he'd tell me he loved it...that's just the way he was.

I was barely able to knock on the door and keep ahold of the box all together, but I somehow managed to do that and he pulled me into the house. He stripped me of my outterwear before even saying hello and once my coat was on the hook, he smashed his lips into mine.

"Hello to you too." I laughed as he wrapped his arms tightly around us. "What's up?"

"My mom and Rosalie went shopping in Port Angels." He squealed. "We have the house to ourselves."

"Emmett," I wanted.

"I know, no sex until we're ready." He spit out. "But, it'll still be nice to be together without being watched or be able to watch TV together without Molly walking in and sitting in the chair right next to me."

"Okay, good point." I smiled, taking a deep breath as I handed him the box. He smiled and leaned in and gave me a gentle kiss. "What was that for? You don't even know what it is yet."

"Yeah, but your'e giving it to me." He shrugged. "I already love it."

"You've been watching too many sappy movies with me." I laughed as he led me into the living room where the only light was coming from the tree and the fire he had going. He dug under the tree and handed me a small box with just a ribbon on it. "You open you're first."

"Okay," I smiled, carefully untying the ribbon. I removed the top of the box, and couldn't believe what was sitting inside. I pulled the chain out of the box and almost cried with what'd he'd given me.

"You like?" He asked. It was a small, silver locket with the engraving 'Now that I have you...' engraved on the front and the date of homecoming on the back. "I remember walking by that antique store a few weeks ago and you sat that in the window. You told me..."

"It's just like the one my grandma had when I was little." I remembered.

"Yeah, so I thought I'd make it our own." He smiled. "Open it." He smiled. When I pried it open, a very small picture from homecoming was taped inside and I couldn't help but laugh at the picture he'd chosen. "I thought it explained us pretty well.

"You were right." I laughed as I pulled my hair up so he could clasp it around my neck. Now, my gift felt like a small little Dollar General thing. He grabbed it and began unwrapping it, and he was halfway done by the time I reached over and practically slapped him. "I can get you something else."

"Bella, I already like what you got me." He smiled. "I told you that." He carefully unwrapped the rest of it and opened the white box it was placed inside of. I was biting my nails so hard I thought I was going to end up chewing off my own finger. "Yeah, Bella. This is awful. He laughed as he pulled the watch out of the box.

"It belonged to Lawrence Taylor before he was a bif NFL player." I explained. "Or, at least that's what they said at the antique shop in Seattle."

"You went all the way to Seattle for this?" He asked, baffled.

"No, but I called them when I said their AD in the paper for this." I laughed. "I'm not sure if it works, but you kept telling me how you wanted to play football because of watching Giants games with your dad and..." But, he didn't let me finish. He crashed his lips into mine and I nearly dropped the necklace.

"This is perfect." He smiled. "Thank you. And if it doesn't work, I'll have my mom fix it or something. Thank you so much."

"I thought a big physical therapist might need a good watch."

"You thought right." He whispered as he set the watch and necklace on the coffee table in front of us. He turned to me, and suddenly my stomach was filled with butterflies and my hands were shaking. I hadn't felt this way since he asked me out and I had no idea what to do, so I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him into me.

We sat there for a long time, just holding each other and kissing. We didn't really need to be doing anything else, being with him would be enough and I prayed that when he left for college, it wouldn't be too big of a deal. I wasn't sure how I'd be able to handle not seeing him everyday.

"You wanna go make dinner?" He asked, standing up and offering me his hand. I nodded and he pulled me into the kitchen and since he could barely make toast, gave me free reign of the kitchen. When I was done, we had spaghettie for two, garlic bread, and I even managed to make us a salad.

"Don't ever tell my mother I said this," He said as he took a bite of salad. "But, your pasta might be better than hers."

"You're right, I should never tell her you said that." I laughed as I scooped some noodles on my fork and fed it to him. "Look at us...being all romantic."

"I kinda like it." He laughed as he accepted the bite. We continued to eat like this until we were both full and then we were good kids and did the dishes for Esme when she got home. "Look! It's snowing again!" He exclaimed as he pointed out the kitchen window. For Forks, it had been a pretty dry winter so far. But, it normally didn't start snowing until after Christmas...it was always just right above the freezing temperature.

"It's beautiful." I sighed as I put the last plate away. Once the kitchen was clean,we took our hot chocolate into the living room and Emmett started a fire and we just sat and watched TV together as the snow seemed to get worse. As we were flipping through the channels, Emmett stopped at the weather channel and we both couldn't believe it.

"Western Coast of the US is now experiencing the worst snow storm since the early 2000's. Better stay in and keep warm."

"Damn," He said as he jumped up and opened the curtains. "Oh my god!"

"Whoa," I whispered. It was completely white outside and just as I got to the window, the power had gone off. "Now what?"

"I gotta call my mom," He sighed, pulling his phone out of his pocket and walking into the kitchen. Just as he started talking, my phone started to ring and I went over to the table to answer it.

"Hi, dad." I said. "What's up?"

"They closed the roads, baby." He sighed. "You're going to have to stay over at Emmett's."

"Really?" I asked, trying to hide my excitement.

"Yeah, that's okay with Esme, right?"

"Yeah dad, she's fine with it." I said, really trying not to sound too okay with this. "I'll call you in the morning."

"Okay, be careful and try to keep warm."

"I will, love you." I said before hanging the phone up and going into the kitchen. Emmett was just hanging up his phone as well and I could tell he was also trying to hide his excitement. "So?"

"My mom and Molly are stuck for the night." He said, a smile creeping over his face. "So, it's just us...all night long."

"Emmett," I warned again.

"I know," He sighed. "I know, but it's still nice to cuddle with you without Molly bursting in to bug us or my mother bringing us cookies every five minutes to make sure we aren't touching beneath the shoulders."

"I do miss those cookies those." I laughed as he dragged me downstairs to the den where the better TV was. After we finished watching Polar Express, he turned the TV off and scooted away from me.

"So, now what?" He asked. We'd done everything there was to do in his house from making dinner to watching a movie to playing GTA V.

"I wanna see your room." I told him standing up. "I mean, I've been over here a million times and I've never seen that one room you call yours."

"You really wanna see it?" He asked. "It's nothing special."

"I don't care." I shrugged and he laughed before grabbing my hand, leading me upstairs. I'd only been upstairs once while Molly was showing me something and his door was shut tight. He stood in front of the door and made this big, dramatic entry and pulled me inside.

His room just screamed Emmett. His jersey from this year was framed and hanging on the wall, posters of different football teams lined the walls, there were clothes everywhere, and on his bedside table was a picture frame. I went over and took a closer look and was honored when I saw a picture of us from a few weeks ago at a town Christmas party.

"I love that picture." He smiled as I walked over to his dresser and looked at the pictures he had taped on the mirror. There weren't many. A picture of him and his grandparents at what looked like last years prom, a picture of him, his mother, and Molly at what looked like the first day of school, and a picture with a baby and a young guy, bouncing him on his lap.

"Is this your dad?" I asked, looking closer at the blonde haired man and saw where Emmett got his beautiful eyes and smile from.

"Yeah, I was about a year and a half." He laughed. "We have other pictures...I've just always liked that one."

"You were one chubby baby." I mocked. "At least I know somethings really never change."

"Hey!" He screeched, gently slapping my arm. Once our laughing stopped, we locked eyes and everything went serious again.

"So...this is your room." I said stupidly as I walked away from him.

"Yep." He answered, walking closer to me. "And we're alone."

"Yep." I sighed as he grabbed my hands. I looked up, our eyes locking, and he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. He pulled back, but I grabbed ahold of his neck and brought him back to me again.

He brought his arms and wrapped them around my waist and squeezed gently as I grabbed a fistful of his hair in my hands. His tongue brushed against my bottom lip and I let him in as he moaned into my mouth. He brought one of his hands around my neck and pulled me closer to him.

I could feel him begin to harden and I pulled at his hair tighter as need for him washed over me. I let go of his hair and grabbed onto his neck as I backed us up closer to where his bed was. He broke the kiss and just looked at me as we neared the bed.

I smiled up at him and nodded as he brought his lips back to mine. I began sitting down on the bed, pulling him with me and he didn't pull back like I thought he might. He continued to kiss me as I lay down on my back, pulling him with me.


	9. See It In Your Eyes

** Chapter Nine: See It In Your Eyes**

* * *

Emmett hovered over me as he gently ground on me, making my head spin. He moved his lips to my neck, finding that sweet spot I loved so much, making me moan loudly. I grabbed the hem of his sweater and pulled it over his head.

He moved his lips back to mine as I began to move my hips against him, and he let out a loud moan as I kept this going. I sat up slightly and raised my arms for him to take off the shirt I was wearing. He did so without hesitation and lowered me down to the bed again.

But, he didn't go back to paying attention to my lips. He focused on the top of one of my breasts with his lips, and began massaging the other with his hands, sending me into a frenzy. This was as fas as we'd ever gotten before since I either pushed him away or his family called down to us.

I pulled away from him and reached behind me to unclasp my bra for him and when the straps were off my shoulder and my breasts were exposed, his eyes were bugging out of his head. At first, I considered putting my clothes back on and going back downstairs, but he didn't give me a chance because he had his mouth around my nipple in seconds.

"Oh, god." I moaned as I bucked my hips into him as he sucked and kissed my nipples, and I thought I was going to explode and nothing had actually happened yet. He kept this going for a while until I thought he was going to explode in his underwear and I pushed him away.

I reached for the button on his jeans and unzipped them, and then pushed both his jeans and boxers down to his ankle. He let out a sigh of relief from not being constricted anymore before he brought his lips back to mine.

He broke us apart a few seconds later though, and sat up, pulling a blanket over him.

"Emmett?" I asked, sitting up and kissing his bare shoulder.

"Bella, this might not be a good idea." He sighed as kissed his back. "Not now."

"Why?" I asked, trying to keep it together.

"A few hours ago, you were making sure I wouldn't get the wrong idea about being alone with you." He sighed. "You weren't ready then...I don't think you're ready now."

"But, I am, Emmett." I assured him. "I wouldn't have let it get this far if I wasn't ready."

"I don't know, Bella." He sighed and I got onto my knees and pushed him back onto the bed. I threw my leg over his waist so I was straddling him, and he wasn't expecting me to do that. "Bella,"

"Trust me," I said, leaning down and kissing his bare chest. "I'm ready." I assured him as I continued to kiss down his stomach until I got to his hips. I wrapped my hand around his penis, and he bucked his hips into me and his face tightened with pleasure.

"Bella," He moaned and I wasn't sure if he wanted me to stop or continue.

"I want this, Emmett." I whispered as I kissed the tip of his cock. "I've been thinking about this for a while, and I want you," I said as I kissed down his shaft. "Inside of me."

"Fuck," He moaned as he flipped us over so he was on top again. He unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them down and threw them onto the ground with the rest of our clothes. "You're sure?"

"I love you, Emmett." I reminded him. "Of course I'm sure." I said and he replied by gently rubbing me through my panties, making me squirm.

"Shit, Bella." He smiled. "You're so wet." He told me, making me blush. "That's hot." He assured me as he pulled my underwear down, leaving me totally exposed. He gave me a smile as he gently pulled my folds apart and brought his tongue to my clit.

"Shit!" I yelled as he flicked my clit with his tongue and kept going. I grabbed a fistful of his hair again as he continued to go down on me, and within minutes, I felt I was going to explode and screamed until the feeling had passed.

"Oh my god..." I panted as he kissed my hips, my stomach and then my chest. "Holy fuck." I sighed as he reached to open his bedside table drawer and pulled out a box of condoms. He pulled out a foil packet, but I grabbed it from him.

"I'm on birth control, Emmett." I told him. "It's okay."

"Really?" He asked and I knew he was referring to more than just getting me pregnant. "I mean...I've been checked and I'm clean...but still."

"I trust you." I whispered and he nodded in agreement as he positioned himself at my entrance. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before looking up at him again.

"Are you sure?" He asked again, making sure I was absolutely positive. I smiled as I nodded my head and he began to slowly push in. I'd forgotten how big Emmett really was when he was going down on me, and I pursed my lips in pain.

"You okay?" He asked as he stopped moving.

"Are...are you in?" I asked as I looked up, but then I saw that most of him was still outside.

"Not...all the way." He whispered as he kissed my nose. "I'm gonna keep going."

"Okay," I nodded as he began pushing in again. Finally, he was all the way in and I felt tears in my eyes from the stinging. I opened my eyes and saw him gently smiling at me, nodding his head telling me it was okay.

"Bella,"

"I'm good." I sighed with a smile.

"Okay, this...this is going to hurt." He warned me and I braced myself for what was about to come. All of a sudden, he thrust all the way inside of me and I cried out in both pleasure and pain. "I'm in, babe."

"Move, please." I begged because it was hurting a lot more while he just sat there inside of me. He complied immediately and began thrusting gently in and out of me, creating an amazing feeling down there.

The pain was still there, but he was being gentle with me and everything that had been building since October was finally being released. Everything I'd ever wanted was finally coming true, and I couldn't have been happier.

A thin layer of sweat began to coat both of us and his face began to tighten as he neared finishing.

"Bella...oh...Bella..." He moaned as he closed his eyes tight and picked up the pace. I arched my back slightly, creating more friction and I could feel he was hitting my G-spot and I felt like I was going to explode again.

"Fuck...Emmett...OH!" I yelled as I came for the second time that night. Emmett just smiled before closing his eyes again and then, he stilled inside of me.

"Fuck, yeah..." He moaned, and then he slumped lifelessly on top of me. "Bella...that was...amazing."

"Oh yeah, it was." I agreed as he pulled out of me and rolled next to me. He grabbed the covers that were half on the bed, half off and pulled then over us as he snuggled next to me. "I'm glad it was you." I whispered.

"What, baby?" He asked, kissing my bare shoulder.

"I'm glad you were my first." I told him as I turned towards him. "I love you."

"I love you more." He whispered as he leaned in and brushed his lips against mine. "How do you feel?"

"Okay I guess." I shrugged. "Actually...I kinda want more." I said with a smirk on my face. He raised his eye brows at me but when he brought his hand down to touch me, I couldn't help but flinch from pain.

"And that is why we aren't going to do it again for a while." He laughed as he kissed me again.

I couldn't tell you how long we lay in each other's arms and just talking. We talked about everything, which was surprising since I didn't think there was much more we could talk about. He told me he wished his mother would find someone else to love and marry. I told him my parents were beginning to fight a lot more than they used to, and he held me when I cried in fear their marriage was going to end.

It was good to just be with him afterwards. Neither of us had to worry about our parents busting in, and there was no awkwardness. We were just us. Like we always were.

We finally fell asleep in the early morning, but neither of us slept long since the power turned back on...which meant everything we left on when it went out, was on again. As we got up to turn everything I, I really start to felt what we did that nigh.

"Ow," I whispered as I stood up.

"You okay?" He asked, after pulling his boxers on and rushing over to me, wrapping me in his robe.

"Yeah...it's just..." But, I couldn't finish what I wanted to say since when I looked down at the sheets, there was a blood stain where I was laying. "Sore. Emmett, I'm really sorry I'll throw these in the wash."

"Bells, it's fine." He smiled, leaning down and giving me a kiss on my forehead. "It isn't anything to worry about."

"It's just...pretty damn embarrassing, Em." I sighed as I tried taking the sheets off the bed, but he stopped me.

"Babe, really. Don't worry about it." He smiled. "We'll rub them with a stain stick and throw them in the wash." He told me. "It isn't anything to get all red about."

"But..."

"Not another word." He smiled as he finished taking the sheets off the bed. He insisted he go down and put them in the washer, leaving me alone in his room. As I heard his footsteps on the stairs, I couldn't help but spin in a circle like a little kid who'd just gotten a Valentine from her crush.

I wasn't a virgin anymore. Emmett was the first guy I'd ever been with and although I had hoped I'd be married when it happened, I was over the moon that it was Emmett. I'd dreamed of just being close to him since he moved here, and he was the first person I'd ever been with. I just couldn't shake the feeling that this meant we were in it, because I wouldn't have said I was ready if I thought it was going to end soon.

And I loved him even more.

"You happy about something?" I heard him ask from the door, and I stopped spinning around and turned to see him laughing at me.

"Maybe," I said, putting my head up in the air and he came over and grabbed my waist. "What?"

"You wanna...jump in the shower?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at me.

"I don't know, Emmett." I sighed. But, he wasn't going to take no for an answer apparently and threw me over his shoulder and carried me into his bathroom. He set me down on the counter and went to turn the bath on.

He filled the tub up all the way and shoved his boxers down his legs, and picked me up, putting me back on my feet. He pulled the robe over my shoulders, leaving me exposed again and helped me into the bathtub.

"Hmmm," He sighed as I leaned against him. "This is...nice."

"It sure is." I agreed as I stroked his thigh. We sat in the tub for what seemed like hours, washing each other and holding one another until the water started to go cold.

"Come on, fun's over." He said.

"Noooo." I wined.

"Bella, you're shivering." He pointed out as he helped me stand up. He wrapped me in a towel and pulled the plug before leading us back into his room. He looked at his phone and frowned. "My mom said her and Molly should be home soon."

"The roads are open?" I asked, going to the window and pulling the curtains back. There was a good amount of snow on the ground, but the roads were salted and plowed and clear. "Damn,"

"We'll see each other soon." He reminded me coming back into his room, handing me a pair of sweats.

"Yeah, but how many more times are we going to be alone like this?" I asked, giving a confused look at the pink sweats he'd handed me.

"They're Molly's." He smiled. "And, here." He said, handing me one of his football t-shirts from his drawer.

"Thanks," I smiled, leaning in and giving him a kiss. I pulled the clothes on as he got dressed and we headed downstairs to make breakfast. Just as we'd finished eating, the garage door went up.

"Here they come." He sighed, taking my plate and going over to the sink. Molly and Esme came inside, looking tired and miserable. "Hey!" He called.

"Hi, kiddo's." Esme sighed as she came and leaned on me. "You guys okay?"

"They were alone all night long, mom." Molly laughed. "How do you think they're doing!"

"Molly Anne!" Esme shouted. "But..."

"No, mom." Emmett lied. "I slept in Molly's room while Bella was in mine."

"Likely story!" Molly sighed as she grabbed a doughnut.

"Molly, back off." Emmett barked. "How'd you two get home so fast."

"We were halfway home when we had to pull over." Esme sighed as she took a seat next to me. Emmett handed her a cup of coffee and I'd never seen her look so grateful before. "But, we're home safe and that's all that matters."

"I should get going." I sighed, hopping off the chair and heading to the hallway where my coat and shoes were. Emmett followed me and helped me into my coat.

"You're sure you don't want me to drive you?" He asked. "I can walk back or something."

"No, I'll be fine." I smiled, playing with the zipper on his hoodie. "But, thanks anyway."

"You call me the second you get inside." He demanded, giving me a tight hug.

"I will, promise." I smiled, looking up at him and kissing his stubbly chin. He tilted his head and brushed his lips against mine before I grabbed my bag and headed outside. The roads were pretty much empty and it took no time at all to get home.

"Mom!" I called as I got inside, after trudging through six inches of snow. "Dad, I'm home!"

"In the kitchen!" They called in unison and when I walked into the kitchen, the traditional Christmas Eve breakfast was being prepared.

"Hi," I smiled as I bent down and kissed my dad's cheek.

"You made it home okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, they did a really good job clearing the roads." I assured them. "How was your night?"

"Quiet." He laughed since he always worked the night before Christmas Eve. "Even the criminals wanted to stay inside because of the weather."

"That's good."

"I hope you're hungry, Bells." My mother chipped in as she dished out bacon onto our plates.

"I'm really not." I sighed. "But, I'll still eat our Christmas Eve breakfast."

"That's my girl." She laughed, pouring me some orange juice.

So, Christmas Eve day went on like always. Mom spent the entire day preparing dinner, my father spent the day on the couch, watching some sports team on TV, and I spent the day reading in my room, and helping mom in the kitchen.

But, this Christmas Eve wasn't the same because at four, the doorbell rang...and that never happens on a normal day. When I went to the door, Emmett was standing there with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Hey," I whispered, giving him a gentle kiss. "What's up?"

"Mom...burnt dinner." He laughed. "And, instead of ordering take out like she wanted to...I was wondering if we could crash...your dinner?"

"Your mom burnt dinner?" I asked in disbelief. Esme was the best cook in Forks. "Come on in."

"Hey, Chief Swan." He called from the front hall, and earned himself a wave and a gruff hello as I walked into the kitchen.

"Emmett, what a pleasant surprise." My mother gushed, walking over and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "What can I do you for?"

"My mom burnt dinner." He shrugged. "And, I know this is incredibly rude...but I was wondering if we could crash your dinner instead of ordering takeout like she wanted to."

"We'd be delighted to have you." She answered. "Bella, go set three more plates at the table."

"Okay," I smiled. "Go get your mom and Molly, dinner should be ready really soon."

"Okay," He answered as he wrapped his scarf around his neck again, heading out to the snowy day. A few minutes later, dinner was ready and the six of us were sitting around the dining room table.

"Lord, thank you for this day and for keeping everyone safe. Thank you for my family and friends in my life, and please bless this food we are about to receive. Amen." My mother prayed before everyone dug into her delicious ham.

"So, Mrs. McCarty, how did you of all people burn dinner?" I asked as the green beans were passed around.

"Oh, mistakes happen, Bella." She sighed with a fake smile. "But, thankfully, you're mother was kind enough to invite us into your home and we don't have to talk about what happened."

"Sure," I whispered, turning to Emmett who only shrugged.

"So, Emmett, have you heard from any schools yet?" My dad asked as he dug into his food.

"Not yet, but I should be hearing from Northwestern really soon." He answered.

Then it hit me. Emmett and I only had seven more months together until he left for school. Whether he went to California or Illinois, he was leaving. And we were going to be pulled apart. And then, I wasn't very hungry anymore.


End file.
